Is this really a good idea? I think not!
by sevendeadlyquinns
Summary: Lily has always hated James. James has always loved Lily. When a major project brings them closer, Lily doesn't even try to put the distance back between them- even when the project is done. Could she be falling for him? Ah, if only it were that simple.
1. Another LJ Row

**A/N: This story starts right after winter break, in Lily/ The Marauders' sixth year.**

**Snape is out of the picture :P**

**Disclaimer: In anywhere except my hopes and dreams, I do not own Harry Potter nor do I claim to be the fabulous J.K. Rowling.**

Chapter 1

"Sod off, you prick!" I yelled as I was hit by a glob of tart thrown by none other than James Potter.

Potter's jaw dropped when he saw my soiled robes. "Evans, I-"

"_Save it_," I seethed. He was going to pay.

I glanced around the room. Potter and his infamous Marauders were doubled over in laughter, as were others. _This is what I get for coming to a Quidditch party_ I told myself. Potter had decided it would be funny to start a food fight. Of course some Gryffindor sixth year- I have no desire to know who- had ducked when he had picked up a piece of treacle tart.

I pulled out my wand and Potter flinched. "Don't piss yourself, Potter, I was merely cleaning my robes." I jabbed at him.

"Evans, I thought you'd know me well enough to be aware that I'm not usually piss drunk until a few hours into the party." He shot back.

After muttering _"Scourgify"_, I straightened. "Ah, but Potter, I don't stalk you obsessively, unlike some others I could mention" I said, looking pointedly in the direction of the fourth year girls giggling over every word Potter said. That shut them up for a few minutes.

One of my best friends, Marlene McKinnon, grabbed my arm. "C'mon, Lily- he's not worth it." She said, leading me up to our dormitory.

"Oh, he's such an arrogant BIGHEAD!" I complained.

Marlene giggled. "Of course he is, but you can't let that bother you."

"I won't. Give me a minute to change, and I'm going back downstairs." I didn't want to admit it to Marlene, but I was sick of wearing my school robes. It was the _weekend_, for goodness sakes! I looked through my wardrobe, contemplating on shirt choices. "What about this one?" I asked Marlene, holding up a V-necked, purple sweater. "Perfect" she said. "Wear a pair of dark jeans and black flats."

I rooted through the wardrobe and managed to scrounge up the recommended items. "Good idea. With a long silver necklace?" I asked her.

"Mhmm" she said, helping herself to my jewelry box and pawing through it. "How 'bout this one?" Marlene asked me.

"How 'bout what?" said Mary Macdonald, coming up the stairs. Mary was one of my closest friends.

"This silver necklace- you know the one that Jack gave her for Christmas?" Marlene said, clipping it around my neck. It _was_ a nice necklace- a woven chain with a metal knot hanging on the end, and, er- diamonds on it.

"Yes, Lily, we're all jealous of your super perfect boyfriend, no need to flaunt it" Mary said teasingly. Mmm. Jack was perfect, in a sense. Maybe I should wear the necklace downstairs, just to spite Potter.

"Oh, alright, I'll wear it. But Jack's not even here." I said with a slight frown upon my face. He must be in his dormitory, I thought. My heart skipped a beat whenever someone mentioned Jack Lawrence- he was a Ravenclaw seventh year, smart, on the Quidditch team (Keeper. And, um, Captain), thoughtful, and well, attractive (to say the least). We'd been dating since the beginning of the school year.

"Ready to go downstairs?" Marlene asked us.

"Yes." I said, brushing my hair for another second. She looked at me and I put the hairbrush down.

We chatted as we made our way down the stairs. I looked at my watch- 7:30. The Quidditch match- Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff- had ended about forty-five minutes ago, and by now, the celebration would be in full swing. This, of course, meant drinking, snogging, and drama/scandal in general.

As I descended the staircase, I looked around and saw Jack talking to some Gryffindor seventh years and a few Ravenclaws. I smiled and hurried down the rest of the steps, making my way across the common room. I felt Potter's eyes on my, staring at my necklace, and hurried over to Jack.

**I thought it was somewhat of a boring chapter, yes- but I promise it will get more exciting!**


	2. A Bit Too Much Firewhiskey

**Oh goodness! I've abandoned my story. I'm sorry for your readers who wanted an update! –ducks as angry readers throw sharp objects at my head- It's been like 2 ½ months since I posted..ahh I feel so guilty! Well, it is the summer, and I have nothing to do, so maybe I'll post two chapters a week or so!**

**I live off of reviews, so please feed me! (hehe, my attempt at a joke did not go so well, did it? Ah. It sounded better in my head.)**

**I hope you all find this chapter more interesting!**

**Okay, re-reading what I wrote, I realized this chapter is quite boring. But I have to get in some character introductions and all that jazz before I get to the core point of my story!**

**So how bout this deal, lovelies: I update often, with somewhat stinky chapters. Think you can hang in for a week or so?**

**I hope you can! Read and review, it makes my day and it really only takes five seconds to write, "I love your story!"**

**(or, on the unfortunate occasion that you **_**don't **_**love the story, "I hate this story, go die!" only takes a second or two longer, if that.)**

**Well, have fun reading!**

Jack looked up from his conversation when I approached, "Hey, Lil!" he greeted me with a hug and a peck on the cheek. When we pulled apart, he left his arm around my waist. I looked at who he had been talking to- Michael Pungitore, a seventh year Gryffindor- and nodded at him. "Hi, Michael. How's it going?" He started to reply, but I was distracted by a scene taking place across the room.

Smiling like nothing was wrong, I said, 'Would you excuse me just a moment?" Before either Jack or Michael had answered, I had left and gone over to the big chairs near the fire. To my horror, James and Sirius were in a tousle with a pair of _third_ years. "What in MERLIN are you doing, Potter?" I shouted at him. Potter looked up, obviously drunk, and slurred, "They 'ere in tha 'ay."

"_Excuse_ me?"

Remus spoke up, obviously being careful over his word choices. "Er, this lot" he said while pointing to the third years (one of whom was sporting a bloody nose), "came downstairs and tried to sneak a bit of firewhiskey. James and Sirius um..overreacted..and well, you see the results.

"Potter, not to mention _you,_ Black" I shouted as Sirius tried to creep away, "are a bunch of insensitive, bullying, indecent, _assholes_."

Neither of them looked shocked by my insults. "Get on, you two!" I snapped at the third years. They hurried up the staircase, and I realized that the entire common room was staring at me.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

After I had cooled down a bit, I actually began to enjoy myself. Jack and I danced, and I more or less ignored Potter for the majority of the night.

When I sank down onto one of the comfy chairs by the fire, Jack plopped down on one side of me. "Merlin, I'm thirsty. I'll be right back, I'm going to get a drink. Do you want one?"

"Hmm, I'll just have a butterbeer, thanks" I said as he left to help himself to the drink table. No way was I getting smashed tonight- I had a _ton_ of weekend homework to do tomorrow!

As I mentally scrolled through my list of assignments, Alice Prewett sat down next to me. With her soft, dark blonde hair, and warm, intelligent brown eyes, Alice was quite pretty. Not in the traditional, too-tight blouse and tons of makeup smeared on kind of way (the way, I must mention, that most of the girls Potter and Black fancied usually dressed.)

Alice has a quiet beauty- actually, the best way to describe Alice _is_ quiet. For example, I-

"Lily?" her soft voice chased away my thoughts. I looked up. "Oh, sorry, Alice!"

She chuckled. "It's quite alright. I was just asking whether you thought Frank Longbottom would actually dance with me."

I was actually flattered that Alice had come to me for advice. "Of course, Alice! Any boy would be lucky to have the pleasure of dancing with you! Go find him!" I said, shoving her into the crowd.

Unfortunately, she was surprised by the shove and crashed into-you guessed it- Frank Longbottom. He grabbed her arms and held her steady, and, from my point of view, I could somewhat conclude that she was swooning. I gave her a thumbs up and sat back down on my couch.

By that time, Jack was back and had already downed one drink. I sipped my butterbeer casually as he grabbed a glass of I- don't- know- what from the drinks table.

"Are you sure it's safe to be drinking that?" I asked him. Who _knows_ what the Marauders put into those drinks.

"Mhhmmm" he said, while chugging another glass. This was odd- it wasn't like Jack to drink so much. _Ah, he was just having a bit of fun- don't ruin it, Lily _prodded my inner self.

"Wanna dance again?" he asked me, his eyes having a bit of trouble focusing.

"Sure" I said, somewhat surprised at myself for agreeing to it. We stood up and he took my hand. We made our way over to the dance floor, which was packed with couples. People were getting drunk, which intensified everything threefold, at least.

I spotted break-ups, make-ups, hook ups, and all the other types of 'ups' you can imagine while I was out on the floor with Jack. No, I won't confess to any of the aforementioned, but, yes, Jack and I had a good time.

A slow song came on and I was surprised. A slow song at a Quidditch party? Never. Ah, well, here goes my best shot at trying to slow dance with a drunken boy.

About halfway into the song, I felt a pinch on my backside and lifted my head off of Jack's shoulder, where I had been resting it. As soon as I turned around, I gasped.

Sirius Black was standing behind me with a mischievious, drunken expression.

I hoped he would just go away and I could continue dancing with my boyfriend, but no, the heavens willed otherwise.

"What the bloody hell, Black?" shouted Jack. Oops. Maybe he hadn't missed that, after all.

Jack stepped past me and, obviously drunk, took a swing at Black's head. Black, obviously _drunker_, ducked and charged at Jack.

Good lord, not another fight. Do these boys even remember that they have wands?

Obviously not. Merlin, now James was heading over to the group. He started shouting- drunk, of course- and I knew I had to once again, break up a Potter and Black fight.

"I am going to take _fifty_ bloody points away from Gryiffindor _and_ Ravenclaw if you don't all CONTROL yourselves!" I roared. The boys looked up. Good. I had their attention.

"Black, you are a dirty pervert. Go splash water on your face or something. Potter, do the same."

I turned away from them and grabbed Jack's hand. "Come on," I said, pulling him towards to portrait hole. We made our way away from the Gryffindor tower, neither of us saying much. I stopped at an empty classroom and pulled him inside.

Jack opened his mouth to speak but I held a hand up. "No, I have a few things to say to you first. One, I really do not think it was necessary to drink that much," I ranted, conjuring a goblet of water. "Drink." I instructed, hoping it would sober him up a bit.

"Lils, I'm really sorry. I did drink too much, and I promise it won't happen again." He said. I pursed my lips. Jack was a boy. Of course he was going to get drunk again. I decided to change subjects. "And two, I really don't understand why you overreacted so much. We all know Black is...well, pretty bad when he's drunk."

"I know, I know." Jack replied. "I overreacted a little bit. But, I don't know. He was being so disrespectful to the both of us, and well, I, er, had a bit to much alcohol in my system." I smiled at how sweet Jack was being, so I could ignore the somewhat jealous side I hadn't really seen before. "Alright, then. How about we go back to the party?"

Jack nodded, and I gave him a quick peck on the lips and grabbed his hand. We walked slowly back to the common room, chatting about classes and the like. Putting my hands over his ears, I quietly said, "flobberworms" to the Fat Lady, and the portrait swung forward. I removed my hands from Jack's head and smiled. "Did you hear anything?" I asked him. "Not a word."

As soon as we stepped inside, almost everyone looked up. "What, did you lot go have a shag in an empty classroom, Lawrence?" asked Sirius Black. "Of course, Black. That's exactly what we did." I said sarcastically. To his right stood James Potter, eyes widened and jaw practically resting on the floor. "Only joking, you dolts. Jack and I are classier than you and whatever slags you're planning on shagging later."

"Well, I personally, am offended, Evans." Said Potter. "Potter, I don't care. Shove off." I turned to Jack. "I'm sorry, I really am not in the mood to stay here any longer. I'll be off to bed." I said, kissing him quickly then storming up the stairs after glaring at Potter and Black for a moment.

**Meh. This chapter is quite stinky also. I have a temporary writer's block. Grr/**

**I'll make it up to you by updating within the next few days!**


	3. Optimism

**A/N: Well, here is the promised third chapter! Was it quick enough? **

The next morning, Mary, Marlene, Alice, and I walked to breakfast together. I was glad I hadn't consumed any alcohol at the party yesterday, and gone to bed early, because many of the Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs were rubbing their eyes and looked quite tired and hungover.

We sat down and I scooped ketchup onto my eggs and sausage. "So," I began casually, "how did the party end last night? And, by the way, thank you all for not waking me up when you came in."

"Well, most people got drunker and drunker, and Black actually snogged three different girls. But that was probably the most exciting thing that happened."

I chuckled and groaned at the same time. "And none of them knew the others existed?" I snorted. "Not a clue," giggled Alice. "Well, where are all of those famous Marauders?" I questioned.

"Potter and Black must have terrible hangovers. I presume Peter does too, so Remus must've stayed in the boys' dormitory to help them, I assume." Said Marlene.

"Well, ladies," began Mary, "what do you plan on doing the rest of the day?" Alice and I replied in unison, "Library."

"Well then." Marlene spooned some porridge into her mouth. "I think I'll take a nap after finishing my Transfiguration essay. I had quite a lot of the punch last night."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The rest of my day was really uneventful. I studied in the library for a few hours, and finished all of my homework for the next week. After a quick dinner in the Great Hall, the four of us (Mary, Marlene, Alice, and I) retired to out beds for a good night's sleep before tomorrow's classes.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\

Alice woke me up - very cheerily- I might add, quite early in the morning. Marlene was already up, sitting on her bed, but Mary was sound asleep under her blankets. I swung my feet onto the floor and stood up, pushing my comforter back onto my bed and stretching.

I put on my uniform, brushed my hair back into a simple braid, and swiped a coat of mascara onto my lashes. While waiting for the girls to finish getting ready, I double-checked the essays I had written yesterday. Good, good.

Breakfast was quiet, as we were all kind of still sleepy. After I had finished eating, Alice and I went on our way to Potions, our first class on Mondays. We took our seats and Slughorn entered the room. "Now," he decided to begin class with a question, "who can tell me what Amortentia is?' Hah, I knew this! I raised my hand and Slughorn pointed to me. "Amortentia is the most powerful love potion in the world. It causes an obsession in the drinker."

"Very good, Ms. Evans, very good. Five points to Gryffindor." I smiled. We had better win the House Cup again this year, I thought. Well, back to class.

"I want all of you to partner up, because today we are going to produce the Amortentia potion. Wait, scratch that, I will partner you up." Alice and I sighed. We had looked at each other hopefully as soon as the words came out of Slughorn's mouth. I didn't really listen to most pairings, but I caught some of them. "Longbottom, Prewett." I smiled at Alice as she went to go sit next to Frank.

"Potter, and" _Please don't say Evans, please don't say Evans._ "Pettigrew." _Whew. Close call._ "Black and Evans."

Groaning inwardly, I packed up my bag and sat next to Black. "Well hello there, Evans." He said. "Black." I said, giving him a curt nod. "Let's get one thing straight. I want a good grade, so don't touch the potion, and the only thing you are doing is fetching ingredients. If you refuse to comply, I will hex you so severely that your tongue will fall out. And no talking." I told him. He –surprisingly- nodded his head and kept his mouth shut through the majority of the class. At the end of the period, I handed a vial of our potion to Slughorn, and Alice and I left the classroom.

"Well, I've got Charms next, so I'll catch you later." She said. "Will do." I replied.

As I made my way to Care of Magical Creatures, I thought about my good mood for the day. My day had gone well so far, and I had a feeling it was only going to get better. Well, turns out, I was wrong.

**A/N: Muahahah, you thought the project was going to be a love poition! I am sneaky. And please don't kill me for the cliffhanger. Next chapter coming shortly…but if I get to ten reviews by tomorrow, I pinky promise I'll post it then! So, all of you read-without reviewing- readers, I suggest you put pen to paper (or, er, fingers to keys?) and review my story!**


	4. Ammie the Puffskein

**A/N: Alas, I did not get to my ten reviews in time for me to post it the day after Chapter 3. But a special thanks to all the reviewers so far: The person that doesn't have an account (Thanks for your review! After looking at it 2 months later, you were the one that convinced me to continue the story!), cocoblue181 (Posted TWO more chapter :D), LillyOfTheField (Yes, nothing has happened yet, lol), .Laura (Yes, I am not a really good author in the aspect of description. Hoping to improve, also going to look for a beta soon.), and elliey black (Hah! Good to know I got at least one reader.)**

**I hope I made this chapter a little more exciting. Thanks for sticking with me!**

**Disclaimer: Anything you may recognize is property of J.K. Rowling and I used it to make my story more accurate. I do not claim to be as brilliant as her.**

"Good morning, class," announced Professor Kettleburn. "If you will please take out your books and turn to- Ms. McKinnon, tardiness is not accepted in my class." He was interrupted by Marlene, who had rushed in a few minutes late, looking flustered. "Five points from Gryffindor, please take your seat." He continued as Marlene slowly sank down next to me, red in the face.

"As I was saying," Kettleburn droned on, "please take out your books and turn to page thirty-four." I flipped my book open and was surprised by what I saw. "Yes, Puffskeins. Is anyone familiar with them?" he looked around, and called on Julian Richards of Hufflepuff. "My sister had one as a pet once. Before my brother used it for Quidditch practice."

"Yes, they are quite popular as pets. Mister Lupin, please read aloud the first paragraph from your book on Puffskeins." Remus cleared his throat and looked around, then began-

"_The Puffskein is found worldwide. Spherical in shape and covered in soft, custard-coloured fur, it is a docile creature that has no objections to being cuddled or thrown about. Easy to care for, it emits a low humming noise when contented. The Puffskein is a scavenger that will eat anything from leftovers to spiders. The Puffskein is much beloved by wizarding children for many generations and it remains a highly popular wizarding pet."_

He finished reading, and left all of us curious. _This sounds like something we would have studied in fourth year, not N.E.W.T levels,_ I thought to myself.

"Now, some of you may be wondering why we are learning about Puffskeins. This is not a project I normally have on the syllabus, but I was talking to Professor Fisher, the Muggle Studies teacher, and she gave me an interesting idea." _Oh, Merlin's pants. Where on Earth is this going?_ "She told me that the Muggles often pair up, a boy and a girl, and care for a replica of a human child! They are quite fascinating, are they not?"

It was a rhetorical question, so he continued speaking. "I thought this would be a wonderful opportunity to somewhat combine Muggle Studies and Care of Magical Creatures! We are going to modify the project, and care for Puffskeins! This will be worth one third of your term grade." _ONE THIRD? This was a _huge_ project, I _had_ to do well!_

"Now, the pair must switch off care of the Puffskein. You will keep a log, and the Puffskeins cannot be kept in dormitories. They _will_ eat your belongings if left there, so you probably wouldn't leave them there anyway. I have checked with your teachers, and you are permitted to bring the Puffskeins with you to your other classes. It is your job to keep them content during class so they do not disrupt the teacher, or you yourself will have to face the consequences, such as detention. Any questions?"

I immediately raised my hand. "Will we choose our partners, or will you?" He chuckled. "Neither, Ms. Evans. I have written the names of all the girls in our class on separate slips of paper, and the gentlemen will pick a name by random lottery."

Next to me, Marlene called out, "How long will we have the Puffskein?"

"Excellent question. Two months." _Two months? I had better get along with my partner._

"Good, good. Now, gentlemen, please form a line so you may pick from the jar. Please meet with your partner after everyone has drawn, so as to discuss schedules and such with said partner."

Marlene and Taylor Long, a fast-talking, hyper Hufflepuff, stood next to me. "I'm quite nervous for the partner pairing, I mean, we're going to be spending a lot of time with this person, and you really don't want to be stuck with someone you dislike! Well, I hope I get Amos Diggory, he's quite cute, and….." she stopped when Marlene said, very calmly, "Slow down, Taylor. You'll be fine."

By this time, four of the nine or so boys had drawn. _Hmm. Maybe I'll get Remus that would be nice. He's quite responsible, and we do have nice discussions during rounds._

"Marlene, who do you want?" I questioned her. "Well, Justin Davis is looking quite fit. I suppose he wouldn't be too bad." She replied, referring to a Hufflepuff boy.

"Yes, yes, we're all set! Gentlemen, find your partners, and once you determine class schedules and extracurriculars and such, please come to me and I will give you your Puffskein. Now, to make things a bit easier, I have charmed each Puffskein's fur. They are all different colors, so no need to worry about confusion over Puffskeins."

I looked around, barely listening to Kettleburn. Marlene was standing off to the side with Justin Davis, looking ecstatic as she gave me a thumbs up-when he wasn't looking, of course.

Sirius Black walked up to me. _Oh no, this isn't happening, please Merlin, _anyone_ but him! _"So, Lily, looks like I'll be working with-"_Don't say, it, don't say it!_ "Grace Longbottom." He finished, with a mischievous smile. I whacked him on the arm as he went to find his partner.

_Hah, Potter hasn't found his partner yet, either. Or she ran away screaming when she saw him. Or- oh no! Potter and I were the only ones without partners! He's coming up to me, I'm going to hurl!_ "Evans. I assume this is your name on my paper?" I peeked at the scrap, ready to have an anxiety attack. **Lily Evans** was written on it in Professor's rough scrawl. "Hah, funny Potter. Who'd you trade with?"

"Actually, Evans, no one. I pulled this out, fair and square. Shall we get our Puffskein and work out details at Hogsmeade this weekend?" I almost replied with a sour, "Whatever", but then caught myself. "Clever, Potter. But I have a boyfriend, remember?" A smirk appeared on his face. "That can quickly be changed, if you'd like."

"But what if I don't?" I asked. "Still can be arranged," he grinned. "Save it. Give me your class schedule and what days you have Quidditch and I'll comprise a chart so that we can switch it off." He began rummaging through his bag and pulled out a crumbled, torn, and almost illegible class schedule. I sighed as I smoothed it out. Boys. I pulled a quill from my bag. "Write down the days you have Quidditch," I told him.

Potter looked at me with a blank stare. "What, are you a troll?" He shook his head. "I don't _know_ which days I have Quidditch. We practice when we need it." I almost growled, but held it in. "Then how are you supposed do have a life?" I exasperated. He responded with a boyish smirk. "Quidditch _is_ life."

"Never mind then, I'll just have to work around it. Let's get our Puffskein." We headed over to the large playpen where Kettleburn had put the furry little creatures. There weren't many left, considering Potter and I had delayed so long. "Ah, yes, Ms. Evans and Mr. Potter. Which color would you like?" I looked at the remaining Puffskeins. There was an emerald green female, cotton-candy pink female, ruby red male, and a brown male that looked like a rock. Without consulting me, Potter blurted, "Green." I glared at him. Of course the green one was nice, but it would have been even nicer to have a say.

Professor picked up the Puffskein and handed it to me. Holding it gently, I stroked the top of it. In textbook fashion, a humming noise emitted from the small creature. "What should we name it?" I asked James. _Wait. Did I just refer to him as 'James'? I mentally slapped myself. _ "Amaranta." He blurted, as if it just came to him. "It's acceptable. Ammie for short, I suppose," I said while trying to hold back a smile. Perhaps this project wouldn't be so terrible after all.

**A/N: I like this chapter much, much more. It was really fun to write! Review, all my lovelies, and you shall be rewarded with a new chapter soon! Any suggestions, please PM me! Bye bye, for now!**


	5. All's Fair In Love and War

**A/N: A big thank you to last chapter's reviewers, you guys are amazing!**

**Lenners: Yep, I almost made it a male and named it Harry. But I thought that might make it a little clichéd, so I chose a different name with special meaning. You'll find out later why I named it Amaranta :)**

**Elliey black: Thank you so so so much for reviewing two chapters in a row! I have repeat readers, yay! And yes, I do have Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Quite a good book, I also like Harry and Ron's side notes.**

As I was walking to Charms the next day, Jack caught my arm. "Hey, we haven't seen each other since the party. Fancy taking a walk after lunch? We both have free periods." I nodded, although I realized that it was cold outside. Oh well, I'd just have to bundle up. "Sounds good. Meet me in the Entrance Hall?"

"Of course," he replied. "I'd love nothing more than to talk right now, but Slughorn'll have my head if I'm late for class again." Puzzled by this, I said, "But Slughorn is so pleasant!" Jack chuckled. "Not everyone can be a favorite. Gotta run!" And within seconds, he vanished in the crowd of people.

In Charms, I was greeted by none other than Potter and Remus. "Hey Remus," I said quietly, and, as an afterthought, "James." Both boys' eyes opened wide and their faces sported goofy, boyish grins. "What?" I demanded. "Lilykins, you just called me by my _first_ name." After a brief debate inside my head, I decided against attacking him. "I suppose I did. But call me Lilykins again and it'll be the last thing you do."

"Seems fair. So, are we on first name terms now?" he inquired. I pondered for a moment. "Maybe. If you behave." As soon as I said this, he took it as an invitation. "What will you do to me if I don't?" with a smirk, he winked. _Ew. I'd better be more careful about what I say to him._ "I would throw you off the Astronomy tower, perhaps." I noticed, for the first time, Ammie the Puffskein, in a small cage that he was carrying. "You can't put her in a cage!" I reprimanded him. "Here, give her to me." I told him, although my hands were already on the cage. He opened his mouth to say something, but Flitwick walked in.

"Everyone, please take your seats." And so the lesson began.

While Flitwick was writing notes on yet another nonverbal charm we had to learn, I placed a few spells on Ammie's cage. The first added a bottomless water bowl, the second a bed, and the third changed the brutal iron bars into a handbag that you would see Muggles carrying teacup poodles in. "Much better." I whispered to myself.

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After class let out, Potter- er, James, I guess, caught up with me. With a look at the Puffskein carrier, he gasped. "Lily, you have _got_ to be kidding me!" I looked at him. "What's wrong with it? She's obviously comfortable!" For the first time in a while, I heard James Potter stutter. "It's…it's…girly!" he exclaimed. "Well, seeing as I am taking care of her right now, and I am a _girl, _I don't notice any problems with that!" I practically yelled, turning my back on him and hurrying downstairs into the Great Hall for lunch.

He called after me, obviously confused. "Ev-Lily, what's the big deal?" He then started running to catch up to me, yelling, obviously not caring who saw. "Lily, wait!"

I pretended not to hear, hurrying into the girls' bathroom. _Merlin, why was I such an emotional wreck?_ I didn't understand why I was feeling; actually, I didn't understand _what_ I was feeling. Agh, why did Potter always have a strange effect on me? I heard a low noise, and, wondering what it was, looked around. The noise came again, and I suddenly realized it was our Puffskein. I picked her up and cuddled her, and Ammie instantly calmed me. Now I was ready to go to lunch.

By time I entered the Great Hall, almost everyone was seated, but no one noticed me slip up to the Gryffindor table. I sat with Marlene, Mary, Alice, and Frank Longbottom. "Hey, Lil. Where were you?" Marlene questioned. I avoided looking up, because they might see that I had been crying. "Oh, just helping Flitwick with something for his second years." I lied, biting my lip and picking up a pickle. They quickly dropped the subject and chatted easily amongst one another, without requiring any participation from me. Before I knew it, Jack came up to our table.

"Ready?" he asked. I thought for a moment, wondering what he was talking about. "For what?" I asked. "Our walk, don't you remember?" I realized, with a jolt, that I had forgotten. I felt guilty. "Of course, yes. Let's go." Taking his hand, I pulled him towards the Entrance Hall. We walked past where the Marauders were sitting, and I felt James' eyes on me. I ignored it. I didn't want to deal with him at the moment.

As soon as we stepped outside, I realized the problem in forgetting about our walk: it was absolutely _freezing._ I shivered, and pulled out my wand in attempts of conjuring a coat. But I was shivering so badly that I could not concentrate. Jack noticed almost immediately and pulled off his own coat and wrapped it around my shoulders. "Thank you. But won't you be cold now, too?" He shook his head. "I'm fine." _How chivalrous._

Ammie made a small noise in my bag. "What was that?" Jack looked around. "Oh! I haven't told you about my Care of Magical Creatures Project!" I pulled Ammie out of her carrier. "Meet Amaranta, also known as Ammie, the Puffskein!" He laughed. "What-_chuckle_- kind of- _snort- _project is-_gasp- _that?" I giggled. "Long story, but we're supposed to 'parent' it. With, ah, partners." I was hoping I wouldn't have to tell Jack about James being my partner, after how jealous he got at the party.

"Who's the baby daddy?" he asked jokingly. "Erm, uh, James…" I muttered. "Which one?" he questioned; there were two James' in my year. "Uh, Potter." All joking went away, and Jack looked serious. "You know he fancies you, right?"

I sighed. "Yes, Jack, I know. But, as you can see, _you_ are my boyfriend, and _you_ are the only person I wish to be with right now." His expression softened. "Sorry. I trust you, you know. It's Potter that I don't-"he stopped talking and seemed to be looking at something behind me. I was about to turn and look, but was interrupted by my eager boyfriend. He bent down to kiss me, and although I did not object, I wondered why he was being so spontaneous all of a sudden.

When Jack deepened the kiss, I rested my arms on his shoulders and held them together behind his head, as if we were slow-dancing. In return he wrapped his hands around my waist and gently pulled me closer to him. I was really getting into it when I heard a voice behind me. "Careful, lovebirds. Snogging out in the cold may result in you two getting frozen together." Reluctantly, we pulled away from each other and I turned around. It was Black and Potter. "What do you want?" I asked harshly.

Black spoke this time. "From you, Evans? Well, it would be very long and graphic to describe what James wants from you..." Jack tensed, and I put a hand on his arm. "Sirius, shut up. Lily, we need to fix up a spot for Ammie to stay and discuss schedules. And we only have forty minutes of free period left," James said calmly. I sighed. "You lot, back into the castle before I make you, and it won't be kindly. I'll be there in a moment."

I pulled Jack over beneath a fir tree. "I'm awfully sorry about that. But I've got to go sort this out."

"I suppose it's alright. Just- be careful, Lily. He really, really, fancies you. But I trust you."

I gave him a peck on the cheek. "Thanks, you're the absolute best!"

"Hey, listen- it's Alex Kimbrough's birthday tomorrow, and he's throwing a party in the Ravenclaw Common Room at five-thirty. Do y'reckon you'd wanna come, as my date?" I wasn't really in the mood to go to a party, but Jack always came with me, so I said, "Sure. Pick me up around quarter after?" He nodded, and I headed back for the castle.

"Geez, Evans, sure you're mouth isn't too tired to talk, after all that snogging?" Black leaned against the Fat Lady portrait. "Out of my way." I said simply, and, to the Fat Lady, "flobberworms."

I stepped inside the Portrait Hole, where James was sitting in his usual chair by the fire. "Lily," he greeted me. I set Ammie's carrier on the floor. "Sorry about the- interruption- earlier. Y'know Sirius, always…not very diplomatic." I blushed. "Quite alright," I said, even though I was surprised at myself for saying it. Normally I would've insulted him.

"Well, um, let's get working on the project, then." I said. _Why am I suddenly tolerating Potter? _

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

As our free period ended, James and I gathered our books. I admired our handiwork- Ammie was now in a basket, which we could levitate with our wands. She had all the necessities to keep her content whilst we were in class, and during our free time, we could play with her or feed her nutritional food. We had also worked out a schedule- I took her Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, while James had her Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. We each took her every other Saturday.

"Well, I'm off to Herbology." I said, and left the Common Room with Ammie floating next to me in her basket.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The next day, classes were the same as usual. I had really started looking forward to the Ravenclaw party, however. Marlene helped me to get ready, as she was the only one of the girls in our room _not_ in the library or Common Room, swamped with homework. We decided on a plain black skirt, black patent leather flats that we had taken from Alice's trunk, and a tunic-y style green shirt, which Marlene assured me brought out the colors in my eyes and made them look even greener. She did my makeup, and I let her fawn over me, as it came out looking quite good; better than I could have done, most likely.

"And…" Marlene began as she put a final coat of mascara on my lashes, "done." I checked myself in the mirror. "Thanks Mar! You're the best!" I hugged her and we headed downstairs. The Marauders were seated together by the fire. Black wolf-whistled when we came down the stairs, and Remus asked, "Where are you off to?" I chose to not kill Black, and answered Remus instead. "Birthday party in the Ravenclaw Common Room." He nodded, "Have fun." I waved and stepped out of the portrait hole.

Jack was waiting for me in the corridor. "You look stunning,' he said simply. I blushed. "Thank you, you like rather nice yourself."

He picked up my hand and we started walking towards Ravenclaw Tower. Both of us were quiet, but it was a companionable silence. We didn't feel the need to fill it was pointless chatter. We reached the portrait outside, and it asked, "Which weighs more: a pound of feathers, or a pound of Galleons?" _Wow, I knew this._ "They weigh equally, because they both weigh a pound." Answered Jack, and the portrait swung forward to let us inside.

Once inside, we mingled with various people, from different years and different houses. The time flew by, and I checked my watch. With a start, I realized it was already seven thirty. "Hey, Jack," I said, shaking his arm, "I almost forgot to tell you- I have your jacket." He turned around. "Thanks. We should get this upstairs before someone else steals it," he said with a grin. I was about to protest, but he laughed. "I know you didn't steal it. Come on, someone will, though. You don't know who some of the Ravenclaws have brought in."

I laughed, and he took my hand. I didn't realize where we were going until we were in the seventh year boys' dormitory. "Wow, I feel like I'm invading. Do you want me to wait outside?" I asked as he opened his trunk, which, I noted, was pretty organized for a boy's. "Nah, they won't care. For some blokes, like Patrick Stewart, this will be the only time a girl will ever be in their room." Chuckling, I looked around. There were posters of Quidditch teams, as well as Ravenclaw hangings, on the wall. It was messy, but that was to be expected.

He closed his trunk, and I wandered over and sat down on it while he appeared to be looking for something. When he was apparently finished, I asked him, "Do you want to go back to the party now?"

"I wouldn't mind waiting up here a bit," he said, plopping down next to me on his trunk. "It's a little crazy down there." I simply nodded, completely understanding what he meant. "So," Jack began, scooting closer to me, "Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw on the Saturday after next. Who are you cheering for?" I sighed. "I'll be happy whoever wins, Jack. But the one person I'll be cheering for is you, of course." He leaned over and whispered in my ear, "I know you secretly want Ravenclaw to win." I laughed, and, since our faces were so close together anyway, kissed him.

Jack was very enthusiastic in responding, so enthusiastic, in fact, that I ended up on his lap and had no idea how I got there. As he parted my lips with his tongue, his hand that had been on my back moved down my thigh and was fingering the hem of my skirt. I abruptly sat up. "Sorry," he mumbled. I sat on the other side of the trunk. "It's all right. But I want to slow down, okay?"

He nodded, "Sor-"he began, but I held my hand up. "Just listen. I don't see why you feel the need to move so fast- I mean, after all, you were never a hormone-dominated boy before. Why has that just started?" A bit of red crept up onto his face, and he cleared his throat. "I- I just felt I had to, to prove to Potter that you were mine, not his."

While he had probably meant it in a sweet way, I did not take it as so. "_Yours?"_ I exclaimed. "I'll have you know, Jack Lawrence, that I belong to _no one._ I have told you before that I don't fancy Potter, no matter _what_ you believe, or how jealous you get. But unfortunately, you can't grasp that fact, and I really don't like the side of you that I've been seeing. I'm going to leave now.' I said, and turned on my heel and bolted down the steps, practically running back to Gryffindor Tower. I didn't make it before the tears came. I sat there, sobbing quietly, in the corridor.

**A/N: This chapter was quite long, kind of a filler, I suppose. But the happy couple just had their first fight! Are there cracks in the wall of the relationship…? We shall see. Mwahahhaha. Cliffhanger **

**Also, any readers interested in being my beta? Shoot me a PM, or else I'll have to track one down myself.**


	6. Quidditch Day

**A/N: Woohoo! My reviews DOUBLED after chapter 5! You go, readers! To all my new reviewers, thank you! Here a special shout out to:**

**-the three anonymous reviewers. Your reviews were very kind.**

**-Lenners: Yay, another repeat reader! I tried making my paragraphs shorter this time, thanks for the tip! And also, thanks for the beta offer. I realllyyyy appreciate it! But since I write really fast, I need a beta that has like ADHD or something.**

**-****Shhayy-j11****: He is sweet- or, well, we thought he was. But yes, L/J is the ultimate pairing- possibly better than Ben and Jerry. Hehe.**

**-belly84: thanks!**

**-emandem: here's the promised update! Quick enough? **

**Well, on with chapter six!**

After a few minutes of crying, I heard footsteps. Worried, I cast a Disillusionment Charm on myself quickly, and looked up to see who it was. But no one was there. _Hmm. I must be imagining things_, I thought to myself, and quickly removed the spell. I went checked my watch-only eight fifteen. I decided to go back to the Common Room and act as if nothing was wrong.

"Hello, darling little Lilyflower," Sirius greeted me. I pulled out my wand, ready to hex him. "Um, Lily?" Peter squeaked, before I had the chance. "Your..skirt..unzipped.." he finished, blushing.

I looked down- he was right. The zipper was open, exposing my hip, part of my knickers, and the top of my thigh. "Shit!" I exclaimed. I didn't realize that Jack had unzipped it in his fit of hormones. The Marauders all raised their eyebrows as I frantically zipped it back up. "Swear, it's not what it looks like!"

"Is it?" said Sirius, smirking. "Because if I would've known you've been putting out, I'd have made sure you ditched Lawrence for sure." I almost threw up on the floor, even though I'd barely had anything to drink. "Never," I put my wand close to his face, "say anything that vulgar to me _again._ Merlin, am I sick of all of you boys and your damn _hormones!_"

"Now, if you would kindly tell me where my friends are…" I threatened, "before I make you unable to reproduce." James came up to our group. Before I had a chance to ask where he'd been, he said, "I believe that they are in the dormitory."

"_Thank you!_ A normal answer out of you lot!" I stomped up the stairs and flung open the door to the girls' dormitory. "Lily! How was it?" exclaimed Alice. "Ugh. Well, long story short, Jack tried to get me to…you know…" and she and Mary gasped. "So I told him off and came back here, but apparently my skirt was unzipped, so you can imagine what conclusion that Black and his lot came to."

"Oh, Lily. I'm sure it'll blow over. But that is odd behavior for Jack…he's usually such a gentleman." I blushed. "He knows Potter fancies me, and he's a little jealous over our project. He felt like he had to prove something, I s'pose. But I'm going to sleep."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The next day, when Jack came up to me at lunch, I shooed him away, causing looks of surprise from both my friends and the Marauders.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

He tried again, two days after that, in between classes. I pushed him away yet again. I was seriously reconsidering this relationship, but I didn't want to break it off yet.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The day after that was Hogsmeade. Marlene and I linked arms on the way into the small wizarding town, and I only had one request: that she not talk to me about Jack. She simply nodded- she had boy problems very often. We had a fun trip, and she reminded me that my birthday was only a week from today. _Hmm. What do I want? I don't even know._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

All throughout the next few days, Jack attempted to talk to me. But I shoved him away every time. I don't know why I did it, but I did. I didn't do much talking to anyone except Marlene, Mary, and Alice.

Friday night, I was studying late in the Common Room. Sirius, Peter, and James all came in, looking quite sneaky, to tell the truth, actually. "What are you guys doing?" I interrogated them.

Potter replied while the other two sneaked upstairs. "I could ask you the same thing." I shrugged. "Working on this bloody Transfiguration essay and trying to understand the damn concepts." He nodded. We were in the same Transfiguration class.

"Well, I could help you," he started, "if you'd like." I almost told him that Jack was just as good at Transfiguration as him, but then I remembered that he and I weren't on speaking terms. "That'd be great! When can-" I was cut off as he began speaking again. "On one condition." _Oh, Merlin._

"What do you want?" I asked him tentatively. "Oh, nothing much…" he mused, "just a quick peck on the cheek." _Like hell I will, Potter. _"No."

"Ah Evans, it's nothing. Just your Transfiguration grade…" James said menacingly, letting the thought hang in the air. "Oh, alright. _One_ quick _peck _on the cheek." Jack would never find out.

"Okay," he said. "What are you having trouble with?" I blushed. He didn't seem to think it wasn't normal that people had class issues from time to time, so oh well. "I don't understand the concept of transfiguring your own features."

For the next hour or so, he explained the concept to me and helped me practice it. After I successfully came out with curly black hair and brown eyes, I knew that I got it. Transfiguring myself back, I said, "Thanks a ton, James. This essay will be a hell of a lot easier to write now."

I started to pack up my books, pretending I had forgotten my promise. "Uh oh, Evans," he said, pointing to his cheek, "forget something?" I silently cursed him. _Might as well bloody get this over with._

Stretching up on my tiptoes- he was so damn tall- and balancing myself by putting my hands on his shoulders, I softly pressed my lips to his cheek.

Hold on. This wasn't his cheek! _Of all the dirty tricks to pull. He bloody turned his head!_ My lips were now on his, in quite an awkward position. I put my hands on his chest to push him away, but was sidetracked by the muscle I felt there. _Merlin. Quidditch has been very good to James Potter._

James took this as an invitation, and slowly leaned into me. Much to both of our surprise, I didn't protest; far from it, actually. As if in some sort of trance, I –somewhat roughly- pulled him closer to me, linking my hands together behind his neck. Tentatively, he parted my lips with his tongue, and I ran my fingers through his already messy hair without realizing what I was doing.

Every part of my mind screamed for me to stop, while my body-and hormones- begged for more. Like always, my brain won the battle. I pushed myself away. "Er, sorry. That was a mistake, I shouldn't have done that. Just…don't mention it to anyone, please?" And with that, I grabbed my books and bolted up the stairs.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**James's Point of View **

"Sirius. Sirius. _Damn it Sirius Black, get the bloody hell up!" _I whispered and progressed to almost shouting. He stirred a little. "What you want, Prongs?" I hit him on the side of the head. "Listen. I just snogged Evans."

"Nice try, but I am not going to believe some stupid ploy to get me out of bed. No way in a million years would she willingly kiss you." I smirked. "But she did! Look, there's lip gloss on the back of my hand."

He rolled over in bed and grabbed my hand. "You are such a prat." Still smiling, I told him, "Believe it, Padfoot. And I am not."

Sirius sat up. "Fine, I believe you. How was it?"

"Almighty Merlin, it was fantastic. She's bloody amazing . And she smells like strawberries."

"So wait. Let me get this straight- you guys kissed _and_ she didn't hex you after?" I nodded. "Well, actually, she called it a mistake and ran off. But yeah. She'll come around."

"Hold it there, loverboy. She's still with Lawrence." _Oh, crap._ "He won't know." I said confidently. "If you say so."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Lily's Point of View**

After the Disaster, as I started calling it, I laid in bed for hours. Mostly, I was torn between: _Damn you, Lily! You are a dolt and you have a _ _Merlin, James Potter is a bloody good kisser. And he smells like heaven._

Resolved not to tell anyone about it, I finally fell asleep.

At breakfast the next morning, I realized that Jack would not play his best if he had something bothering him. Trying not to be the reason for his poor playing, I marched up to the Ravenclaw table. "Can I have a word?" I said, tapping him on the shoulder. "Of course." He said, a little too quickly.

"I kissed Potter yesterday. On the cheek for not even a second." I blurted out, knowing I was stretching the truth. "If you're mad, be mad. But I just want everything to be in the past."

Jack looked surprisingly calm. "Well, alright. One question- was there any particular reason or was it just to piss me off?"

I shook my head. "No, no, I was just thanking him for helping me with my Transfiguration essay."

He looked at me. "You know, I'm pretty good at Transfiguration, and I already learned everything that you guys are doing." I gulped. "I thought of that, but we weren't exactly speaking at the time."

"Don't worry about it. I know it didn't mean anything, so yeah. And Lil? Happy Birthday." He pulled me into a hug and held me there for a few seconds. _Wow. He smells fantastic right now_- _almost as nice as-_ I caught myself. Nope, not thinking about it.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Mary and I linked arms on our way to the Quidditch pitch. Alice was already down there with Frank, and Marlene was on the team.

"Well, today's match should be good." Mary said as soon as we sat in the bleachers. Shortly after, the commentary started.

"All right folks, a lovely day for the Ravenclaw versus Gryffindor Quidditch match. Leading the Gryffindor team is James Potter, a brilliant Chaser. And for Ravenclaw we have Jack Lawrence, a pretty decent Keeper. Captains, shaking hands."

Jack and James shook hands, each looking ready to snap each other's wrist off. Jack said something to James that made him scowl before replying.

"Okay, here we go. Everyone's mounted their brooms- and they're off. Potter starts off with the Quaffle, shoots- brilliant shot, goes past Keeper Lawrence, and ten points to Gryffindor! Alright, Jackson of Ravenclaw with the Quaffle…."

The game continued, until the score was eighty to forty, Gryffindor. "Gryffindor Seeker, Will Mez, has spotted the Snitch! He's going for it, while at the same time, Potter has the Quaffle for Gryffindor. He shoots- makes the shot, right off the Keeper's hand! And Mez catches the Snitch! GRYFFINDOR WINS!"

Mary and I jumped up and down together. I looked at Jack. I hoped he'd be okay. _Wait. Why did he just grab the beater's bat?_ I watched as if it was in slow motion. Jack threw the beater's bat, and James, completely oblivious, was nailed in the face with it. There was a sickening crunch, and blood spurted everywhere.

He fell off his broom and started plummeting to the ground. Sirius and Will Mez, seeing the situation, raced to catch him before he hit the ground. Panic rising in my chest, I realized that they weren't going to get there in time.

Racking my brains for something to do to help, I thought, _"Wingardium Leviosa!"_ And yes, I just used a spell from our first Charms lesson of first year to save Potter's life.

James just sort of hovered in the air, suspended. I swear, the entire stadium sighed in relief. Sirius reached James and pulled him onto his broom, and slowly they touched ground. James was unconscious, and Dumbledore ran out onto the pitch, conjuring a stretcher and levitating him onto it.

They set off quickly for the hospital wing, and we were all instructed to leave the pitch. McGonagall added sternly, "And do not, under any circumstance, try to visit Mr. Potter in the hospital wing," obviously aware of James's popularity.

Mary and I waited around the locker room for Marlene to come out. Bag on her shoulder and a worried look on her face, she finally emerged. "That ruddy son of a-" she stopped. "Sorry, Lily."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "No, I completely agree with you. That was an awful thing for him to do, and I'm off to go yell at him. I'll see you guys in the Common Room in a bit." I said, and set off towards the other locker rooms.

When Jack came out with two of his friends, I skipped all pretenses and grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him over to me. I glared at his friends, and they continued walking, looking a tad confused.

"You have some explaining to do, Jonathan Tyler Lawrence," I growled, using his full name. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah? Well so do you."

"What could I possibly have to explain to you?"

"I heard Potter and Black whispering before the match. They were talking about how Potter snogged you last night. And they said you started it."

My knees turned to jelly, and I almost fainted. No, this wasn't happening. _Lie, Lily! Lie lie lie! Deny deny deny!_ "Jack, don't be so gullible! They must've known you were eavesdropping, and said it to get under your skin."

"I don't believe it."

"Well, you'll have to. I've already told you that I have no feelings for Potter. Why would I snog him? I told you, it was a peck on the cheek as a thank-you."

"Jack, even _if_ I had snogged him, which I _didn't_, that was no excuse for you to do what you did. It was poor sportsmanship, and frankly, you were being immature, not to mention violent. What would've happened if someone didn't levitate him, and he hit the ground? He could have broken his neck or back!"

"I'm seriously reconsidering this relationship, Jack. Tell me why I shouldn't stop wasting time and break up with you."

Jack looked more angry than I'd ever seen him. "They- they set this whole thing up! I don't believe this, Lily. You're being a fool."

"Am I? If you did that to Potter when he hadn't done anything, how do I know you won't hurt me if I upset you?"

"Lily, I would _never-_"

"Well, I didn't think you would throw a beater's bat at James's face either, but here we are. Jack, I need time to think. Please, let me alone for a while."

"Are you breaking up with me?" he demanded. "No. No, I need time to think. Just please, give me space." He snorted. "Just go, before I say something stupid."

I turned and started walking back to the castle, alone. _Lovely birthday I'm having, yes. Even better than the one when Petunia got sick, tripped while carrying my cake, dropped it on me, then puked on my lap! Oh yes, loads better._ I thought sarcastically.

Once I made it back to the Common Room, I plopped onto one of the soft sofas and stretched my legs out. _Ahh_. "Lily Evans, tell me right now what happened!" Alice, Mary, and Marlene said in unison.

"I'd rather not talk about it," I said grumpily. Mary glared at me- if looks could kill, I'd be a goner. "Oh, all right. Last night, I was doing my Transfiguration essay and…" I recounted the story to them, up until the part where I talked to Jack, which only happened twenty minutes ago.

"Oh Lily, you slag! I always knew you fancied James…"

"I do _not!_My hormones just took over!"

"Bloody liar. Well, at least Jack thinks it was only a peck…"

"That's enough! I shouldn't have kissed him. End of story. We're _just friends._ But I don't know what to do about Jack…"

"Don't worry, sweetie. You'll know what's right."

"Thanks, guys." I pulled them in for a hug, just as Sirius came in. We all looked at him; all four of us wanted to know about James. "He's still unconscious. Pomfrey says he woke up for a little, but she had to give him a sleeping potion. He broke his nose, fractured some cheek bones, and had to get some stitches."

"Oh Merlin, I feel awful…" Black looked at me. "Why would _you_ feel bad? It's not like you threw the ruddy bat at his face."

"No, but my boyfriend did."

"Touche. Wait, you're still with that ass?"

"Debating on it. But don't repeat that." Sirius sighed. "Well, I think you should go apologize, on your _boyfriend_'s behalf," he said, sneering. I nodded, ignoring his attitude. "Oh, all right."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"NO visitors!" screeched Madame Pomfrey as I walked up. "Oh, Ms. Evans. Hello. Didn't realize it was you; I'm sorry, but he's not allowed to have visitors. He's sleeping, anyway."

"Madame Pomfrey, I _really _have to see him. I don't care if he's sleeping, I won't disturb him."

"Oh, alright, but _only_ since you're the girlfriend…" she said, leading me to the back. "Me? Oh, no, I'm just…" I stopped. Only since I was the "girlfriend" was I being let in. Better go along with it. "girlfriend." I finished, gritting my teeth together.

I sat down in the chair next to the bed, looking at his face. Goodness, he looked terrible. I lightly ran my finger over the row of stitches under the eye closest to me. He opened his eyes and I jumped.

"Hello, Evans." I swear to Merlin, if he wasn't so injured, he'd be smirking. "I just came to apologize on behalf of my idiot, violent, anger management struggling, jealous, territorial boyfriend."

"You're still with the bloke?" He looked hurt. "I- I don't know. It doesn't matter, anyway."

"So, tell me," I looked at him, "why you told Sirius about that kiss, when Jack was in hearing distance? And what did he say to you when you two shook hands?" I thought it wasn't possible, but he turned even paler. "I told Sirius before, and _he_ brought it up, not me. And Lawrence told me to stay away from you. I told him I'd do whatever the hell I pleased."

I groaned. "Yes, because that obviously turned out very well for you." I said sarcastically. "Well, of course it did, Flower, because you're weeping on my deathbed."

"Someone has a flair for drama, James. Calm yourself. Oh, and I brought Ammie for you." I said, picking the Puffskein out of her basket and handing her to him. At that moment, Madame Pomfrey came in. "You said you wouldn't wake him. Never mind, Mr. Potter, you need to take this sleeping potion again."

"Rats. That stuff tastes bloody awful," he whispered to me. Pomfrey left the room to retrieve the potion and came back, with the orange substance smoking slightly in the goblet. "Drink up," she ordered him. He tilted the cup back and drained it, making a face as he did so. Once she was sure he had finished it, she left.

Stroking Ammie, he drowsily picked up my hand. I tried to pull away, but he wouldn't let me. "Know what, Lily?" Before I could reply, "What?" he said, "I picked Ammie cause she matched your eyes perfectly."

"James, you're delirious. Go to sleep."

"Only if you kiss me good night."

"We've been through this. We'd better stay away from each other, for fear of your life," I said, only half joking. "Bye, James."

As I was leaving, he called out groggily, "Happy Birthday, Lily." _He knows my birthday? Oh, well, lots of people know my birthday. Calm down, Lily._

**A/N: Well, I like this chapter. Any thoughts? And still looking for a beta, readers. Plus, reviewing makes me post faster!**


	7. Spin The Firewhisky Dare

**A/N: Surprise! Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas, and whatnot. I was loving this story so much that I went into a review-induced craze and pumped out another chapter for my lovely readers! Thanks so much to the person who reviewed Chapter Six so far: the potter family! I updated super fast, partly because of your enthusiastic review!**

**Still looking for a beta. Any ideas, please, state so in your next review, PM me, whatever gets the idea in my brain.**

**Without further ado, Chapter Seven!**

When I reached the Fat Lady, I was surprised to see Jack, standing there. "Where were you?" he asked me.

"Hospital wing. Visiting the poor soul that you bloody could have killed."

"What, hoping to get in some more snogging?"

"Actually, his face was too injured to. But no, even if it wasn't, I still wouldn't have."

"Jack, what do you want?"

"It's either me or him."

"You're being ridiculous. I thought I told you to leave me alone." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm telling you right now, Lily. Do you want to stay with me, or not?"

"I don't bloody know!" I practically shouted. "I'm done," he said. "I-what?" I wondered aloud as he walked away. "Done, Lily Evans. Done!"

I giggled to myself. Merlin, was I sadistic. Why was this funny?

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"And you're not upset, not at all?" Mary asked me in amazement. I giggled again. "Actually, no. I think I wasted too much time on that bloke."

Marlene, who had a new boyfriend every month, could sympathize. "I get it, Lils. There just wasn't any…anything, anymore. Right?" she asked. "Right." I said, nodding.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

One Friday night in March, Marlene poked me as I was re-reading my copy of _Hogwarts, a History_ for the umpteenth time. "Lily, get up!" I looked at her. Didn't she know by now not to interrupt me when I was reading, for fear of losing her tongue?

"What?" I hissed. "Okay, I need a favor." Sighing, I reluctantly said, "What is it?"

"You see, the Marauders are downstairs with the seventh-year boys, and they asked if I could get another girl to play a game." I made a noise in my throat. "No."

"Please, please, please, please, please, please! With Will Mez and Brycon Mullen on top?" She was referring to two seventh year boys, who, I will admit, were quite fit. "I really want to snog Sirius Black."

"_What?_" I gasped. "You heard me. Please, get your butt downstairs." She pulled me off the bed and shoved me down the stairs. As I was falling and about to hit my head, she caught me and then resorted to grabbing my wrist and pulling me down the steps.

"I've got her!" Marlene called out to the boys. "Hey, Lily," some of them greeted me. I nodded in return, too mortified because of my attire to speak. I was still wearing my tank top, men's boxers (I bought them myself! And I was wearing underwear with them! No slag jokes, please.), and fluffy slippers that I had been wearing while reading. I hadn't exactly planned this when getting ready to go to bed.

"Excuse my appearance. I was forced," I said, glaring at Marlene. "So," I said, crossing my arms over my chest and wishing I had a sweatshirt, "what are we playing?"

Sirius piped up, "A combination game. Quite simple, really. When it's your turn, you decide whether you want to a) spin the bottle, b) receive a dare, or c) take a shot. Bottle's charmed, so if it lands on someone, you have to snog them for at least fifteen seconds or it beats you unconscious. Other than that, it's self explanatory."

I sighed. Marlene owed me big time for this. "Ok. I'll play. But I need someone's sweatshirt or I'm going upstairs." All of the boys wearing sweatshirts offered one, but I just smiled sweetly and took Marlene's. _Poor blokes. They thought it was that easy._

"Peter, your turn." _Merlin, if he chose bloody spin the bottle, I was going to have an anxiety attack._ Thankfully, he picked dare. "I dare you to try and get into the seventh year girls' dormitory." Peter looked up with wide eyes. "But it's impossible!"

"Nah, it's not. Figure it out, Wormy." Sirius said pointedly, gesturing to the staircase. When Peter left the group, he whispered, "You'll all thank me for getting rid of him early on, Evans and McKinnon. One Spin the Bottle with him and you need a trip to St. Mungo's."

I laughed in spite of myself. "Alright, Sirius, your turn. What'll it be?" I asked him. "Hmm…" he said, pretending to contemplate his choices before grabbing the bottle and giving it a turn. Much to my relief, it landed on Marlene. _You got your wish, honey. Now can we bloody be done?_

Sirius grinned and, Marlene, who was coincidentally sitting next to him on the side of me, matched his smile. The snogfest that ensued made me want to become a nun. Thankfully, I was saved by Brycon. "Oi, Black! Fifteen second, not fifteen minutes. Some of us want to take our turns!"

Sirius waved his hand dismissively and surfaced only enough to gasp for air and pant, "Count us out." Grabbing Marlene, they moved to a cushy chair-which was obviously meant for one- and continued. _Oh, just Avada Kedavra me already._

"Wait, guys, now if you spin the bottle, it's basically just snog Lily." Will pointed out. _Oh, Merlin._ "S'alright by me," Brycon grinned. Remus and James were silent, but did not object. _Let's just hope everyone does a dare or takes the firewhisky. And I'll take the killing curse now, please._

"Okay, Remus, your turn." He looked at me, and I shook my head, pleading with him. "I'll take the firewhisky, mate," he told Will, who was sitting next to it. Will poured him a shot and he downed it. I mouthed _thank you_ to him when no one was looking. He winked.

Remus looked at Brycon. "What'll it be?" Brycon grinned and picked up the bottle. _Damn it. At least he's good-looking._ Just to humor himself, I suppose, he spun the bottle, and –surprise! - It landed on me. I sighed and sat up, practically crawling over to him.

He turned his head and planted his mouth on mine. I, on the other hand, was counting the seconds until I was free. Brycon put his hands behind my head and practically forced his tongue into my mouth. _Ew, gross._ Feeling violated, and noticing that the fifteen seconds were up, I pried myself out of his clutches and sat back.

Blushing and looking around the circle, I noticed a look on James's face that I'd never seen before. When I looked again, it was gone._ Curious._

"Lily?" Will asked me. "Umm…dare?" and regretted it as soon as the words were out of my mouth. "I dare you to sit on Potter's lap until everyone's had a turn. Then, I guess we're done."

_Joy._ Alright, Potter himself wasn't bad, but…no, this wasn't a good idea. Sighing, I stood up and walked across the circle, gently sitting down on the very edge of James's lap. His breathing stayed normal, while I felt my heart fluttering inside my chest. He acted as if this were a regular occurrence.

"Alright, Mez." I said. "Pick your poison." I was going to get revenge, oh yes. What should I make him- _wait, don't pick the firewhisky, you prat! Put it down and get a dare!_ He finished his shot and I stuck my tongue out at him. "Pansy."

"Sorry. Potter?" he enquired. I craned my neck to look at him, as I was still seated on his lap. Since he was James Potter, he couldn't just pick the firewhisky, and he knew it. "Dare," he said finally.

"Alright. I dare you to go up to Lawrence tomorrow and snog Evans in front of him," he grinned. Where was the lightning flash and evil laugh?

"Sorry, Mez. No life-threatening dares, remember?" He laughed. "Damn. All right, take the bloody shot. I've got nothing. Oh, wait! You two have to stay like that until McKinnon and Black go back upstairs."

I scowled. Bloody Will Mez. I wanted to throw him out of the tower window. "Hey, can we move to the couch?" James poked me in the back. "_What?" _I screeched. "Can we sit on the couch...the floor is really uncomfortable."

Oh. Okay, good. So he wasn't having dirty fantasies about me. "Sure." After we settled onto the couch, Will put a Sticking Charm on us. "Are you bloody kidding me?" I complained at him. "Nope. Making sure you keep your word. I'll be in here, finishing my Potions essay for old Sluggy."

I feebly tried to get off James's lap. No such luck. "Had to try," I grumbled wishing I would've shaved my legs recently. The stubble was probably cutting his skin.

He picked up a piece of my hair and started absentmindedly playing with it. "You smell like strawberries, you know. All the time. Am I crazy, or do you do that on purpose?"

Laughing, I said, "It's funny you mentioned it, actually. I've been using the same kind of strawberry shampoo ever since I was seven, and got it in my Christmas stocking. Eventually, I started using strawberry lotion and such, so I guess that's why I smell like them."

"Don't you ever get sick of the smell of strawberries?" he questioned, sniffing my long, almost waist-length hair. "Surprisingly, no. They remind me of when I was younger, my Mum and Dad would take Petunia and I strawberry picking when we were on holiday."

"Why, do you think it smells bad?" I asked him. He shook his head. "No. You wouldn't be Lily if you didn't smell like strawberries." I laughed. "You think so?"

"Yeah." At that moment, I realized two things: One, I was bloody tired, and two, I would have to find some way to rest until Sirius and Marlene had had their fill. Reaching for a pillow, I looked at James. "I'm really tired, would you mind if I went to sleep?"

"No, go right ahead." With that, I propped two pillows up next to where we were sitting. Stretching my legs out, I placed my head on the pillows.

My last thought before I fell asleep was that I was very, very happy that I was wearing Marlene's sweatshirt- My torso was still on James's lap, because of the ruddy Sticking Charm and dare ordeal.

**A/N: This chapter was fun to write! I have a little poll for you readers, just put your reply in either a review, or a PM if that makes you more comfortable.**

**Who do you want Sirius to end up with?**

**A: Marlene**

**B: New character**

**C: No one, he's mine! Lol jk. But I want him to remain single.**

**Are there any characters you'd like to see more of?**

**As always, constructive criticism is welcomed! Encouraged! So, yeah.**

**Always,**

**sevendeadlyquinns**


	8. Not What I Expected

**Thank you, all of last chapter's reviewers: belly84, the potter family, Nikita, and Lenners!**

**Disclaimer: Would I really be writing fanfiction if I were J.K. Rowling?**

**Without further ado, Chapter Eight!**

Sighing, I stretch my arms out and my hands grazed over my pillow. I yawned and sat up, before I remembered what had happened last night. _Huh. I thought I fell asleep in the Common Room? How'd I get up here?_

Scratching my head, I fell back onto my pillows and noticed a flashing blue piece of parchment tucked into the top of my four poster bed. While I wondered what it was, I picked it up. _Evans, I hope you know that you snore when you're sleeping._ _J.P._

"Git," I mumbled to myself. How had he even gotten into the girls dormitory? More importantly, how had I? I rolled out of bed and wandered into the girls' bathroom, feeling groggy.

After stripping down and taking a hot, twenty minute shower (using my strawberry shampoo, of course) I felt refreshed. Padding barefoot into the dormitory, clutching my towel, I pondered on two things: what to wear, and what to do for the day.

Finally deciding, I slipped on a pair of crisp, clean jeans and a grey v-necked shirt. I dried my hair with my wand and left it down, but hastily pulled some of it away from my face as an afterthought.

I glanced around the dormitory. Alice was nowhere to been seen, but Mary and Marlene were still asleep in their beds. I shook Mary's shoulder and hissed, "Mary, wake up." She mumbled something that I couldn't hear and got out of bed.

"I'm too tired to shower, just warning you," she said, rubbing her eyes. "You showered last night," I reminded her.

"Right."

Mary quickly dressed and we headed downstairs to breakfast. "So Lily, explain to me why I saw you snogging Brycon Mullen on my way back to the dormitory."

I groaned. "No, no. Marlene forced me to play a stupid game with the boys yesterday. It was nothing."

"Oh, was it?"

"Yes. It felt like he was trying to eat my face off or something. Disgusting."

She giggled. "Well, you do seem to like seventh years as opposed to sixth years…"

"Yeah? Well, that's because they're slightly more mature. Most of the time," I added, thinking of the way Jack had acted before we broke up.

"Speak of the devil," I hissed as he strolled into the Great Hall with his arm around Melissa Grover, a seventh-year Hufflepuff who squealed like a chipmunk and had curly black hair that rivaled Medusa's.

"Hmm. I would've thought he could do better than that," Mary mused aloud. "He has," I pointed out. "But he couldn't hold onto it." I added, promptly ending the conversation. At least I didn't have any classes with him, because he was a seventh year.

"So, Lilyflower," Sirius said, plunking down beside me and reaching across me to grab a biscuit, "how do you feel about _that?_"

"Actually, Sirius, I pity the both of them."

"Good for you, Evans," he said, smirking. "You know what would really piss him off?"

"What," I said, really not caring. "If you snogged Prongs senseless right in front of him," he continued. At that moment, James came up to our table. "What about me?" he asked, sitting across from Sirius and I, next to Mary. She scooted away from him. _Old habits die hard, I guess._

I glared at Sirius. "Not happening."

He grinned, "But I'm serious, it would work!"

"I already know your name, you prat."

"That's not what I-"he started, only to stop talking when Marlene entered our group, sitting next to him. Frank and Alice came in a few moments later, joining James and Mary across from us.

"Did anyone finish that Charms essay?" Alice offered hesitantly. "I did," I said, while almost everyone said, "Nope."

"Didn't start it yet," Marlene and Sirius said at the same time. I sighed. "But it's due three feet due on Monday!"

"We have people to help us, of course."

"Meaning Remus and I, right?"

"Right."

"You two are so annoying." I said, but my words of wisdom were lost on them. "Merlin!" Mary exclaimed. "It's not even ten o'clock and you're snogging already!"

"Well, as much as I would like to stay and watch," I said, my voice laden with sarcasm, "I'm going to the library."

"I'll join you," Alice said, a mix of disgust and laughter on her face.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

A few weeks passed, and James and I-sadly- had to return Ammie back to Professor Kettleburn. Sirius and Marlene never became official, only snogging at every opportunity. Ravenclaw beat Hufflepuff in a Quidditch match, but then lost to Slytherin.

A calm lull spread over the grounds as spring approached. I spent more and more time with the Marauders, partly because of Marlene. The days slipped by, and by the middle of May, I had already started studying for exams.

"Merlin, Lily, it's not even OWLs or NEWTs!" Marlene exclaimed one day after I had forced her to come to the library with me. "But I've got to be prepared!" I snapped at her, my red hair in a tangled bun on top of my head. I calmed down. "Sorry. We can go back to Gryffindor tower, if you'd like."

Once back at the tower, I spotted Potter and a girl whose face I couldn't see, entwined tightly in a chair and snogging each other's faces off. Amused, I asked Remus who she was.

"Ashley Kanto. Bit of a moron, really. She's a fifth year. I heard she's only passing one class, which is Divination."

"Oh," was all I said, looking at her. From what I could see, she was skinny- dangerously, anorexic almost skinny- and had thin, pale blond hair that grazed her shoulder blades. "Oh!" I said, as I remembered who she was. She had pale blue eyes that always had a vacant stare in them.

"Wonder why Potter picked himself a bimbo," I mused aloud.

"I've heard she's also a slag," he offered.

"Of course she is," I practically growled. _What was that funny feeling in the pit of my stomach?_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

As our exams loomed even closer, Alice and I barricaded ourselves in the library. Marlene and Mary practically had to beg us to go eat with them, and I was getting more tired every passing minute.

What I didn't explain to them was the reason, other than exams, that I spent less and less time in the Common Room. Ashley and Potter, as I now referred to him, spent most of their time in the Common Room, snogging each other's faces off, and I really didn't want to see it.

I wondered why it bothered me that Potter had a girlfriend. It certainly had never bothered me before. I chalked it up to my (apparently wrong) conclusion that he had changed a little and was now more mature. I was obviously wrong.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

While leaving my Potions exam at the end of May, I spotted Ashley and Potter in the corridor, neither making any attempt for privacy. I watched in disgust as his hands roamed her back and she raked hers across his scalp. _Merlin, get a room already,_ I thought to myself.

Turning my back on it, I headed to- you guessed it- the library to study for my Charms exam. After reading a chapter or so, I slammed my book shut. I just couldn't study anymore, and besides, I was confident that I would do well. Charms was the last exam that I had to sit before we went home.

I started walking back to Gryffindor tower, thinking that a long, hot shower was needed. "Hey, Lily!" called a voice behind me. I turned around. _Potter_.

"What do you want?" I asked irritably.

He looked a little hurt. I ignored it, noticing how his lips were swollen from all the snogging he'd been doing. _Git_.

"Just some company back to the Common Room, really."

"Oh? Where's Ashley?" I asked him, not making any attempt to hide the bitterness in my voice.

Oblivious to my tone, he said, "Oh, she's taking her Transfiguration exam."

"We all know how bloody long it'll take her to finish that," I muttered.

"I know. She's not very intelligent, actually," he admitted. "We don't talk about much."

"I suppose it's hard to find time to talk, when your mouths are always previously occupied," I said coolly. "Oh look, we're at the portrait hole. Pity we couldn't chat about your dolt of a girlfriend anymore."

"Lily, what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing! Everything's absolutely peachy!" I almost shouted. "Three Broomsticks," I barked at the Fat Lady, and she swung forward to let me inside. I bolted up to my dormitory, threw my bag on my bed, and jumped into the steaming shower in an attempt to clear my head.

About forty minutes later, I emerged, possibly more confused than before. _Gosh, why do I act like someone completely not myself around Potter? Bloody git. He makes me act like this, and I don't like it one bit._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

When the time came to board the Hogwarts Express, I was relieved and ready to go home.

I sat with Mary, Remus, and Peter on the way home. Almost everyone else in our group was off snogging someone. _Goodness. Can't they find anything productive to do?_

We played Exploding Snap, discussed what seventh year would be like, and ate treats from the lunch trolley. The ride ended quickly, and I was not sad to get off the train.

"Aww, you guys! Next time we see each other, it'll be our last year!" Marlene exclaimed, pulling Alice, Mary, and I into a group hug.

"Promise to write?" Mary asked.

We all answered in unison, "Promise."

As I was about to go greet my parents, someone grabbed me from behind. I turned, ready to hex my assailant, when I realized that it was Potter. He hugged me and whispered, "Have a good summer, yeah?"

_Don't play mind games with me, boy._ I sighed. "You too, P—James."

"Lily!" I turned around, and there stood my Muggle parents, waving frantically. I rushed over and was enveloped in a crushing hug. "Oh, we've missed you!" they exclaimed.

I looked around. "Where's Tuney?"

"Oh, um, well, she's a bit tied up. Visiting er, Vernon," my dad answered. I sighed.

"She couldn't come meet me?"

"Ah, I think she preferred not to, sweetheart."

I was silent on the ride home. When we reached our Tudor- style cottage, Petunia wasn't there. Neither was her car, so I assumed that she was still at the Whale's house.

"Oh, so I've got your room all ready. You'll like it dear, I added a mirror into it and cleared it up a tad," my mum babbled.

"I'm sure I will, Mum."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The next few weeks were uneventful. I corresponded regularly with Mary, but Alice seemed too busy with Frank and Marlene was grounded for trying to use magic to—er, enlarge her chest.

I had laughed when Mary told me. Apparently, not only had Marlene failed in her attempts, but she broke out in a nasty purple rash all over her chest.

One Tuesday afternoon, I was lazily lounging in my bed reading when my mum called up the stairs. "Lily, dear? Someone's at the door for you."

_Who in Merlin would come visit me?_ I wondered as I rolled off my bed and trudged down the steps. _Certainly not anyone from Hogwarts. And all of my grade school friends don't talk to me anymore._

You can imagine my surprise when I saw James Potter and Sirius Black standing in the doorway to my home. "Oh, um, er, hi," I said intelligently.

"Hullo, Evans."

"So, is there any particular reason that you're showing up at my house? Or that you know where I live?"

"Well, Lily," James said, "we'd prefer not to tell you how we know where you live. But we came because we were bored."

I gawked at them like an idiot. "Oh. Well, bye!"

"We're not leaving, Lilyflower," said Sirius.

_Damn._ "Oh, okay. Do you uh, want to come inside or something? I think mum just made iced tea."

They stepped inside and allowed me to usher them into the living room. "Mum, Dad, this is James Potter—" I gestured to him, "and Sirius Black."

"They're friends from school."

"Oh, well, it's very nice to meet you, dears," my mum said. My father just harrumphed over his newspaper.

"Well, why don't you three go sit on the back porch?" Mum suggested, handing me a tray with three glasses of iced tea on it.

Relieved to get out of the house, I led Black and Potter onto the back porch. "Now," I said, "tell me the real reason why you came."

**A/N: This was really a filler chapter, I suppose. Before you throw something at me, remember that I have an update coming! Most likely tomorrow. Or, I guess it's today by now (2:12 AM.) Oh well. Please review- I know that there are a lot of people on story alert that I don't get reviews from, and it makes me sad **

**Still looking for a beta,**

**sevendeadlyquinns**


	9. Pool Party

**A/N: Here is chapter nine! Thank you to last chapter's reviewers: Lenners and belly84. Lenners: Thank you so, so much for all your grammar help! I'm really awful at the subject. I tried to make sure only one person spoke per paragraph this chapter. I also get the comment about F.A.N.B.O.Y.S, although I can't promise it didn't accidentally slip itself in.**

**Disclaimer: The only thing that belongs to me is Rinky the house elf.**

"Well, Evans, we're horribly bored, you see," Sirius told me. "And we came to invite you over to the Potter's house. We've already invited Alice, Frank, Mary, Remus, Peter, and Marlene."

"But Marlene is grounded," Potter said. _As if I didn't already know._ "Frank is sick, and Alice won't go without him. Remus, Peter, and Mary are all in though. Well, Mary is if you are."

I thought for a moment. Mary obviously wanted to go, and I couldn't begrudge her the chance to spend time with Remus, whom she had been writing me about. "When?" I questioned.

"Thursday," Sirius answered. Well, I didn't have anything else to do.

"Okay, I guess. What time?"

"Hmm, one? Yes, one is fine," Ja—Potter (Hah! Caught myself. I was still annoyed at him) said.

"Oh, alright then. Write down your address, so I know where to apparate."

"Actually, Mary's coming to pick you up. It's all arranged," Sirius informed me. "Well, see you then."

I nodded as they prepared to apparate back to-presumably- James's house. "Oh, and Lily?" James said.

"Wear a bathing suit, we have a pool." He turned on the spot, and with a _crack, _they were gone.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Thursday morning, at about eleven, Mary barged into my room and shook my shoulder. "Lily? Lily, get up!"

I grumbled and rolled over in my bed. "Go away. It's too early."

"It's eleven o'clock!" she exasperated, "Get. Up. Now." She tugged me out of my bed and I fell on the floor.

Whimpering and rubbing my elbow, I stood. "You are bloody annoying."

"I know, and that's why you love me!" she sing-songed as she went through my closet. "Now, go shower! We're going to James's house in two hours."

Grumbling once more, I grabbed a towel from the linen closet and stepped inside the bathroom. Rather than taking a hot shower, which would make me sleepier, I opted for one on the colder side that woke me up.

Returning to my room, I saw that Mary had put an outfit on my bed. I looked at her. "No way am I wearing this! I'm picking my own clothes, thank you very much."

She glared at me. "No, you're wearing this. And to ensure you will, I put a Disillusionment charm on all of your other clothes."

I stuck my tongue out at her and grabbed the clothes off of the bed, going into the bathroom to put them on.

Once inside the bathroom, I shut the door and gaped at the clothes she'd given me: a yellow-orange strapless bikini top, with matching string bottoms that had little turquoise beads on the strings. The bathing suit had been a gift, which I rarely wore because I thought of it as too exposing. Of course she picked that one.

Mary had also included a thin, green cotton sundress to wear over it, with cork-wedge sandals that had silver straps. Bloody Merlin, I was going to _kill_ her.

I changed into my torture device and entered my room. Mary wolf-whistled and smirked at me. "I knew it would look great!"

"Yeah, well, you don't have to wear it," I muttered. "Can we eat now?"

I clunked down the steps in my sandals and walked into the kitchen, intent upon making myself a ham and cheese sandwich. Before I could do so, however, Mary squealed. "We didn't do your hair or makeup!"

_Oh no._ She grabbed my arm and pulled me back upstairs, using her wand to dry my hair. Pulling out my own wand, I zapped the hair off of my legs. Mary brushed my hair, braided a piece on the side and clipped it back, then put the whole thing in a low ponytail.

After she placed a water-repelling spell on my hairstyle (to keep it from getting frizzy, she insisted) she attacked my face with makeup. She lined my eyes with a deep jade color that made my eyes look greener, and then finished it off with black mascara to define them. She placed a waterproofing spell on it and was finished.

"Oh, look at the time! We've got to apparate!"

But…my sandwich. Ugh. "Mum," I called down the steps, "we're leaving now!"

Before I heard a response, Mary grabbed my arm and turned on the spot. I felt the familiar tug on my navel and felt as if I were being squeezed into a tube. When we landed, I staggered a little and tried to regain my focus.

"Mare, are you sure we're at the right place?" I asked her, staring at the _enormous_ house in front of us.

"P-positive," she stammered, mouth open and eyes wide.

We walked up the long driveway, gaping in awe. "Hey, Evans," James called out. Sirius stood next to him, hands in his pockets.

"_This_ is your house?" I gasped.

"Uh, yeah," he said, shifting on his feet and rubbing the back of his neck. _Hmm. _I enjoyed watching him squirm.

"Well, let's go inside rather than stand outside in the heat, yeah?" Sirius said, filling the awkward silence and pushing open the gate. He then led us through the front door.

We were greeted by a house elf. "Please misses, Rinky can take your bags!" she said in her high-pitched voice. I shrugged and handed mine to her. Mary did the same. James and Sirius led us into a room which I assumed was the sitting room.

"Mum," he greeted a woman lounging on a chair and reading _Witch Weekly_, "This is Lily Evans, and Mary MacDonald." She stood up and bustled over to us. I looked at her- she obviously must have been very beautiful when she was younger, I could tell from her sparkling hazel eyes- the same as James'- and soft brown hair, streaked with gray.

"Oh, Lily, it's so nice to finally meet you! Every break, James used to come home to me and tell me about the fiery redhead whom he absolutely adored!"

"_Mum!_" James hissed.

She smiled at him. "James, dear, don't lie. Why don't you and Sirius go upstairs and put your swimsuits on? I'll entertain the girls while you're gone."

With a sigh, he started out of the room, Sirius following behind him. "Don't believe anything she says," James whispered as he passed me. I smirked.

As soon as he was out of the room, Mrs. Potter said, "Mary, it's very nice to meet you as well. Are you the one that the boys tease Remus about?" she asked, making Mary blush a _very_ deep shade of red.

"Yes, well, I'm sure you are. You two seem lovely. You know, Lily, you're the first girlfriend that James has ever brought home."

_She thought I was his _girlfriend_? Oh, Merlin._ "Um, actually," I began tactfully, "I think you might be confusing me with Ashley. She's James's girlfriend. We're just…friends."

"Hmm, you wouldn't guess it from the way you two look at each other, no? Oh well, things have a way of working out," she said, patting my arm.

At that moment, the boys came thundering back down the steps. "Mum, I'm going to take them away before you can tell them more embarrassing stories. We'll be by the pool if you need us," James said.

"Sorry about her," he apologized to Mary and me.

"No, no, she is quite interesting. I'm sure Lily thought so," Mary said, giving me a knowing smile. I shot her a nasty look.

We reached the pool and I looked around. Merlin, Potter had it all: a diving board, twisty slide, even miniature Quidditch hoops complete with a soft, waterproof Quaffle.

"Mary?" I called her. "Can you put sun lotion on my back? I just know I'm going to burn in this heat…" _Oh, the traumas of being a redhead._

"Sure," she said, "just let me get my face first." While I waited for her, I busily rubbed lotion on my legs, arms, and stomach, reaching up my dress to do so. I wasn't exposing my skin to the harsh rays of the sun until I absolutely needed to.

When she was finished with herself, Mary rubbed the lotion on my back. After she had finished, I kicked my uncomfortable sandals off and pulled my dress over my head.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**James's Point of View**

As Padfoot and I returned from the equipment shed, carrying pool floats, Mary was rubbing suntan lotion onto Lily's back. "Kinky," Sirius muttered, chuckling.

I was about to say something in reply when Lily removed her dress. "Merlin," Sirius gasped, "Evans has got an _ass!_ You know, Prongs, since you're off the market, d'you mind if I fill in your spot of constantly asking her out?"

I glared at him and hit him on the shoulder. "Sod off. And as soon as I see what's-her-name, I'm ending it." I muttered, almost in a trance.

And that's the moment that I realized that I would never get over Lily Evans.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Lily," Mary said warningly, "they're gawking at you. Must be in awe, I s'pose," she said with a sigh. "Yes, of course you got blessed with the brains _and_ the beauty, while I am of average intelligence and can barely fill out a swimsuit."

I glared at her. "Shut it. I'm putting my dress back on," I said, reaching for it. She slapped my arm away. _Ouch._

"No you are not! Go on, flaunt what you were blessed with!" she exclaimed. "Besides, I don't mind. Remus isn't here yet. Just don't take him too," she muttered the last sentence, but I still caught it.

"I don't have any interest in _any _of them!" I told her.

"Well, I can see chemistry with James that you choose to ignore. Oh, well, that's a whole other subject," she said, changing to subject. "Oh, look, here comes Remus!" she squealed as he let himself in through the back gate.

As I was glad for an excuse to not talk about James, and Mary was glad to see Remus, we bounded over to him, enveloping him in a hug. I heard someone mutter from behind me, "Lucky git."

"Hello, Remus!" Mary and I said in unison. He extracted himself from us and said a quiet, "Hey, Lily."

Remus whispered something to Mary that I didn't hear, and she giggled.

"Hey, Evans," Sirius called out. "Since you've shown us what you've been hiding under your school robes all this time, will you go out with me?"

Quite enjoying look of panic on James's face, I said slyly, "Yes, I will agree to _not_ go out with you."

While Remus, who was as intelligent as I was, caught on right away, with Potter close behind him, Sirius had no clue.

"Are you serious?" he gasped, unaware of the joke that he had just set himself up for.

"No, I believe you are. But try to comprehend what I just said," I told him.

"Oh, right. Well, all of you, let's stop dilly dallying and get into the pool!" he said.

Remus and Mary jumped in together, and I dipped my toes in to feel it. _Huh. Not too cold, not too wa-_ My thoughts were cut off as Sirius grabbed me from behind and threw me in. My scream caught in my throat as I hit the water.

I surfaced, pushing my hair out of my face. There were two splashes as Sirius and James jumped in. Trying not to ruin my afternoon, I decided to forgive Sirius.

Over the next few hours, we took turns on the slide, played mini-Quidditch, and overall had a good time. I looked at my watch and noticed that it was six o'clock.

"Well," I said, beginning to climb out of the pool, "Mary and I have got to get back to my house. I promised my mum that we'd be home in time for dinner."

Mary followed me out of the pool. We dried ourselves off with out wands and gratefully accepted our bags from Rinky the house elf. Just as we were preparing to apparate, James grabbed me out of nowhere, hugging me and pressing my body close to his- too close for comfort, I must say.

"See you at school, Evans."

**A/N: You know the drill, pretty please with James Potter on top, review! (Unless you're Lily. Then we'll put Paul McCartney up there, hehe.)**

**Always,**

**sevendeadlyquinns**

**PS- I just **_**had**_** to throw the serious/Sirius joke in there ;)**


	10. Welcome Back

**A/N: Well, I just wanted to finish this chapter and post it quickly before I went to bed. It's a bit of a filler chapter, but I hope you like it! Happy reading!**

**Disclaimer: Nope, still not J.K. But maybe I could get my hands on some Polyjuice Potion and fool you all..just kidding.**I was surprised by how quickly that the first of September came upon me. Before I knew it, it was time to apparate to King's Cross Station. While I stood among my possessions, Mum fawned over me.

"Now, Lily, you won't forget to eat our sleep, will you? Of course you won't. And you'll write often? Oh, of course you will. Listen to me, babbling on and on…" she said, speaking very fast.

"Mum, calm down. I'll be fine," I told her soothingly, pulling both of my parents into a hug.

"Lily? We are so very proud of you, especially for that," she said, pointing at the Head Girl badge that I had pinned onto my blouse.

"Thanks, Mum. I'd better go, got to catch the train and all." I said pointedly, trying to pull myself free from her clutches.

She and my father smiled wistfully and waved goodbye. With a hand on my trunk and the cage that held my owl, Athena, I apparated to a hidden alley next to King's Cross Station.

Pulling my trunk behind me, cage in one hand, I hurried through the station and walked straight through the barrier between platforms nine and ten. I smiled, remembering how nervous I had been first year, but by now it was second nature.

"Lily!" came a shriek to the right of me, and I turned to see Marlene running towards me, her dark hair flying in all directions. Her bust did not look any larger, although she was considerably tanner, I noted.

She hit me with a thump, and we both laughed.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't write! Mum took away my owl, told me that scarlet women weren't permitted contact with the outside world," she said.

"Don't worry about it," I told her kindly. "Let's get on the train, yeah? I have to lead the prefects' meeting."

She noticed the badge on my shirt. "Wow, Lil, that's great! I knew you'd get it. Who's Head Boy?" she asked me.

"Actually, I don't know. I think it's either Remus or Amos Diggory, the Hufflepuff prefect," I said, wishing that I knew for certain who it was.

We loaded our trunks onto the train, found a compartment, and waited for Alice and Mary to find us.

Twenty minutes later, we had been joined by Sirius, Remus, Mary, Alice, and Frank. I asked Sirius and Remus, "Where are Peter and James?"

Sirius told me, "Peter is always late."

Remus said, "I have no clue where James is. But congratulations on being Head Girl, I knew you'd get it."

I could no long hold the question inside of me, "Do you know who Head Boy is?" I asked, noticing the lack of a badge on his shirt.

He frowned slightly. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't."

I sighed, "Well, I'd better change into my robes and head over to the prefects' compartment."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

When I reached the compartment of the train reserved for the prefects, I pulled the door open, only to find James Potter sitting inside.

"Joke's over, James, Head back to your friends, they're sitting on the seventh compartment on the left," I told him.

He smirked. "But Lily, I am obliged to be here," he said, pointing to something on his chest. I squinted to look at it- HB was engraved on it. _I'm going to pass out. What in Merlin possessed Dumbledore and forced him to appoint Potter as Head Boy?_

I stared at him like an idiot, at a loss for words.

"Well, I think we should get organized before all the prefects come in," he said.

We were soon joined by all of the prefects from the four houses, and I quickly stood once I had a head count and was sure that we had each prefect in the spacious compartment.

I clapped my hands loudly, and everyone looked over at me. "Right, thank you," I started.

"For those of you that don't know, I am Lily Evans and I am Head Girl for this year. Standing to my left here is James Potter, Head Boy." I cleared my throat before continuing.

"For the fifth-year prefects, we welcome you and hope that you remember the privilege and responsibility that comes with being a prefect. I think we would do well to remind the veteran prefects, as well. Alright, as a prefect, you will take one patrol night per week, most likely with the other prefect of your year and house. You have the right to deduct house points, _only when necessary_-"

I looked at Potter when I said this, and continued,

"—you also have the right to give detentions, provided that you check with the student's head of house first. You will also have access to the Prefects' bathroom, the password to which is 'gillyweed', and we will have a prefects' meeting once a month. Other than that, I think you're free to go."

The prefects shuffled out, eager to return to their friends before the train ride ended.

"Well said, Lily," James told me.

"Thanks. Now, we have the Head's dormitory," I said, wincing in anticipation of the suggestive comments that we sure to come pouring out of his mouth.

But alas, none came. I continued, "I've never been inside, so I don't know what they're like, but we have them. I think we can sleep in the seventh year dormitories as well, if we opt for that."

He stood. "Well, I've got to go…"

"Off to meet Ashley?" I asked, surprised with the bitterness in my voice.

"Er, yeah, actually…we're done," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. He always did that when he was uncomfortable, I'd noticed.

_We? Potter and I never…oh. He and _Ashley_, I see._

"I just have to find the right time to tell her…" he continued. "It's awkward, really. I guess I'll tell her within the next few days."

Ignoring the strange sensation of relief that I had, I exited the prefects' compartment and headed back to my friends.

After the carriage ride up to the castle, we finally sat down to the Welcome Feast. We watched the Sorting, listened as Dumbledore spoke of the dangers of the situation with You-Know-Who, and nodded when he reminded us of a few rules. Well, at least _I_ nodded. The Marauders just smirked.

With a wave of Dumbledore's hand, our feast appeared on the table, and everyone dug in.

"You all have a good summer?" Alice asked.

Peter, surprisingly, was the first to speak. "I went to France with my parents."

"Sounds cool, Peter- my parents took me to Germany,' Frank said.

"I was kept prisoner in my home, for reasons known only to Lily, Alice, and Mary," Marlene told the group.

I smiled, giving her an all-knowing look. "Well, Petunia is engaged to the whale of a man known as Vernon Dursley," I said. "And she wouldn't even see me off at the train. Not that I mind much…"

Alice patted my shoulder as the desserts appeared. I cut myself a slice of lemon meringue pie, my absolute favorite.

As we finished up dessert, I sighed. This year, I didn't have to lead the first years to their dormitories- I left to the prefects.

"Ready?" James asked me. I nodded, with a pang in my chest: I wasn't living with the girls this year. The thought was bittersweet.

We trudged up to the Heads' dormitory, but stopped when I pointed out a moving tapestry. I pulled it aside, ready to catch the snogging couple inside.

"Oi! Get to your dormitories, ten points from each of—"

I stopped when I saw who it was. James did a double take. Ashley Kanto and a Hufflepuff sixth year that I didn't recognize, both looking more caught than a werewolf under the full moon.

"—ten points from each of you, and be glad it isn't more. Off with you!" I snapped.

Ashley turned to James. "Jamesie, please…"

He glanced at her, a steely look in his eyes. "Ashley, we're obviously done. I was planning on dumping you anyway, thank you for giving me the perfect excuse."

She scurried off with tears in her eyes. James snorted. "She doesn't regret it one bit, she'll be over it and have a new boyfriend within a week."

"Are you okay?" I asked him tentatively.

"'Course," he said. "I'm just tired."

I yawned and nodded. "Me too," I said, and looked at the statue of a centaur outside of the Head's dorm. "Pumpkin pasty," I said to it, repeating the password that Dumbledore had told me.

We stepped inside and looked around. We had a small common room, decorated with Gryffindor banners, comfy-looking couches and chairs, and an ever-burning magic fireplace. There was a staircase that led up to two doors, and we peeked inside each.

My trunk lay at the foot of the bed in the room on the left, so I assumed that it was mine. There was an intricately carved, wooden four-poster bed, a desk and chair, a closet, and a door that led to a bathroom.

I poked my head out of my room to see if James was there. He was.

"Well, goodnight, Lily," he said, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Goodnight, James," I said.


	11. Not a Last Resort

**A/N: A warm thank you for all of last chapter's reviewers: All Things Magickal, Lenners, emandem, belly84, and the potter family!**

**Lenners, thank you so so much for all of your grammar help! I hope my writing is slowly improving.**

**Disclaimer: Only the plot and Greg Jackson are mine. Everything else is Rowling's, m'dears.**

* * *

><p>The next morning at breakfast, the Marauders sat with Mary, Marlene, Alice, and me. Remus, I noted, shyly took a seat beside Mary, and she blushed. Sirius, who sat next to Marlene, put his arm around her shoulders. She did not blush, because Marlene McKinnon had been involved with many, many boys and did not blush for just anyone.<p>

"So," Alice commented, "now that most of us are paired off, what you are planning on doing, Lily?"

"Why, I'm going to date Peter, of course!" I said, throwing my arms around the small, mousy boy that was sitting next to me. He blushed almost as much as Mary did with Remus.

"Ouch, Evans, that stings," James said, who was on the other side of me.

I grinned. "So, what classes have you all got first?"

As it turned out, I had Charms first period with everyone. Next was Transfiguration, which everyone except Mary was in. She had Ancient Runes.

Potions narrowed it down even further, with Alice, James, Remus, and me.

After Potions we had a free period, then lunch. After lunch was Care of Magical Creatures, which Marlene, Sirius, James and I had continued with this year.

After Care of Magical Creatures, Remus, James, and I had Herbology, and then Remus and I had Arithmancy, which was our last class of the day.

I had chosen to drop History of Magic this year, partly due to the fact that I had already read the entire textbook.

I poked Alice on the arm. "Since you're done eating as well, do you want to head over to Charms?"

She stood, and we walked towards the Charms classroom, chatting about the things we planned to do this year.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

By the time I reached the Heads' dormitory that evening, I was exhausted. Our classes were more demanding than ever before.

Collapsing on a couch in the common room, I set my bag down, yawned, and told myself that I would just rest my eyes for a few minutes before dinner…

"Lily, wake up," a voice said while someone gently shook my shoulder.

"Nngghh," I groaned and rolled back into my pillow.

"Lily, wake up! Flitwick is giving out extra credit assignments as we speak!" the voice said.

I shot up off the couch. "Where? Why didn't he mention it in class? Oh, I'm going to be so late!" I exclaimed, grabbing my bag.

James stood in front of me. "Lily, I wasn't serious. I was just trying to get you up," he confessed.

I shot him a look and smoothed my tangled hair. "Git," I mumbled.

"Well, it worked, didn't it?" he reasoned.

I ignored him. Oh, how I hated it when he was right.

"Do you want to head down to dinner?" James asked hesitantly.

"Sure," I said.

As we walked down to the Great Hall, he asked if I was actually mad at him.

"No, I guess not," I admitted.

"Good. I hate it when you're mad at me," he said.

I sighed. "James, I was constantly mad at you for the better part of six years."

He nodded sheepishly. "I know, but it still bothered me all the same."

Not knowing what to say, we were silent as we entered the Great Hall and sat down at our usual spot on the long Gryffindor table.

I decided to ask him about Ashley as we waited to be joined by the others. "So, have you seen Ashley since—er, yesterday?

He grinned. "No, but we have a little something planned for her and Ethan West," he told me. I assumed Ethan West was the Hufflepuff we had found her snogging.

"Do I even _want_ to know?" I asked, doing a very bad job of hiding my smile.

"Probably not," he replied, matching my grin. "Just make sure you're in the Gryffindor common room tomorrow night, if you want to see it."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The next day, classes were just as grueling, but I was looking forward to seeing the Marauders' prank. I made sure I was in the Gryffindor common room after Arithmancy ended, and worked on the three essays I'd been assigned that day.

Waiting for some big fiasco to take place, I looked around. I saw people studying, playing Wizards' Chess, and Ashley Kanto and Ethan West snogging each other senseless. Nothing was really out of the norm.

"Hey, Evans," a voice whispered beside me. I jumped and looked around, but no one was there.

"It's me, James. I'm under my invisibility cloak," he whispered.

I gasped. _This explains so much_. "What are you doing under there?" I asked him.

"You'll see," he said, and I could picture the smirk on his face.

Hearing him mutter an incantation, I looked expectantly at Ashley; however, nothing happened.

James hid behind the couch and pulled the cloak off, smirking just as I had suspected.

"Just watch," he said.

"Oi! West, I've got to talk to you about something!" Sirius shouted from across the room.

Ethan pulled away from Ashley. Or rather, he _tried_ to pull away from Ashley.

"Sticking Charm?" I asked, bursting out in laughter.

He tried to control his own guffaws long enough to nod his head.

"Nnnghhh!" Ashley shrieked, realizing that they were stuck.

"Don't worry, Ash! I've got you!" her equally blonde and equally dumb friend, Genevieve, said to her. Genevieve pulled out her wand and tried to perform the counter-jinx, but instead of unsticking them, there was a _bang!_

After the blue fog had cleared, there were red letters floating above their heads: _Cheating slag_ was above Ashley, with an arrow pointing to her head. _Whipped and desperate_ was above Ethan's head, also pointing to him.

At that point, I couldn't control myself anymore. Tears streamed out of my eyes, and I clutched my stomach, trying to get a hold on myself.

"Lily, insist on taking them to the hospital wing to be separated," he whispered to me. "They'll have to obey a Head, and I obviously can't do it."

Me, partake in a Marauder prank? Normally I wouldn't, but I was finding this hilarious. "Oh, all right," I said, standing up.

"Ashley and Ethan, I insist that I escort you to the hospital wing so that you may be…separated."

Neither of them could protest, although they tried to. I grabbed Ashley's hand and led them out of the Common Room, walking behind them as they shuffled along slowly.

"Madame Pomfrey?" I called as we entered the Infirmary. "I have two students here that need to be seen."

Madame Pomfrey bustled out of her office, "What do you—oh dear!" she exclaimed as she say Ashley and Ethan. "What happened?"

"A most peculiar occurrence," I said solemnly, "they became stuck suddenly while, er, engaging their mouths, and when someone tried to separate them, the words appeared above their heads."

"I see," she said, and then winked at me. "You are free to go, Ms. Evans. Thank you."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The days quickly turned into weeks, and before I knew it, October was only a few days away.

One night while studying in my dormitory, I heard a knock on the door. I opened it and saw James.

"Dumbledore wants to see us in his study," he told me, and we set off to meet him.

"What do you think he wants us for?" I asked nervously. "We haven't been doing anything wrong, have we?"

He frowned slightly. "I don't think so," he trailed off. When we reached Dumbledore's study, James looked at the gargoyle sitting outside and said, "Caldron cakes."

The gargoyle leapt aside and allowed us to gain access inside.

"Ah yes, Mr. Potter and Ms. Evans, do come in," said Dumbledore from behind his desk. "You are probably wondering why I have called you here. No need to worry, you've done nothing wrong."

I shifted on my feet.

He continued, "I would like to have a formal Halloween dance, to change things up and differ from tradition a bit."

James and I both nodded, not understanding why we'd been called.

"And I would like you two, with the help of the prefects and some of the staff, to organize it," he finished.

"Sir, are there any guidelines you would like us to go by?" I asked him.

"No, no, that won't be necessary. I trust both of your judgment to plan a grand event. Now, I think I might go to the kitchens in favor of some warm cider…" he wandered off.

James grinned at me, his hands in his pockets. "He's nuts, that one," he said fondly.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Dumbledore made an announcement about the dance at dinner two days after James and I had been called to see him. After two weeks of careful planning, the dance was in order. Now all we had to do was see that all of the plans were properly carried out.

"Hey, Lily?" James asked me one night while we were sitting in our common room.

I looked up from my copy of _Standard Book of Spells, Grade Seven_. "Yes?"

"I was thinking…since neither of us have dates, do you want to go to the Halloween dance together?" he said.

I cleared my throat. "How do you know I don't have a date?"

He shrugged. "Well, I just thought…"

"Don't assume you know everything about me. And don't just invite me as a last resort, either. I already have a date," I snapped at him.

"Who are you going with, then?" he asked me.

"None of your business," I scowled, slamming my book shut. "I'm going to bed."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"James Potter asked you to the dance, and you said _no?" _Mary exclaimed at lunch two days after.

"Of course I did. I'm already going with Greg Jackson, remember?" I reminded her.

Greg Jackson was a Ravenclaw chaser in our year. In fourth year, Marlene had a crush on him for a few months.

"Right, you did mention that," said Alice.

I looked at them. "Who are you all going with?" I asked.

"Frank," Alice answered quickly.

Mary looked at her lap. "Well, Remus hasn't asked me. _Yet_."

Marlene said airily, "I'm keeping my options open for now." I laughed.

"Are we allowed to go without dates?" Mary asked me nervously. "If Remus doesn't ask me, I don't want to go with anyone else."

I nodded. "Dates are not required, merely suggested."

"Good," was all she said in response. "Now, Hogsmeade is two days from now. We should go to Gladrags and find dresses, and let's get there early, before any of the other girls."

We all nodded in agreement.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Between classes and Head duties, I was very busy, and therefore was surprised when I realized the dance was the next day.

At dinner that night James whispered in my ear, "Would it bother you if I brought a date?"

Surprised, I said, "Why should it?"

"Don't evade the question, Lily," he said.

I shrugged. "I dunno. Whatever you want, I guess."

He stood to go back upstairs. "Well, it's settled then."

Curious, I asked, "Why? Who are you bringing?"

James smirked at me. "I'll be sure to save you a dance."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Don't they remind you a little of Hermione and Ron about the Yule Ball? So sweet.**

**PS- Tomorrow (or today, rather) is my birthday! It would make it **_**extra**_** special if I got ten reviews for this chapter!**

**PPS- I figured out the horizontal ruler thingy, yay! (don't judge.) Should I keep using my "/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\"s and use it to signal A/Ns, or use it in place of the "/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\"s? Decisions, decisions.**

**PPPS- I **_**finally**_** saw Deathly Hallows Part Two- I cried. I cried more than Fawkes did with Harry in the Chamber of Secrets, that's how much I cried.**

**Oh, well, enough with my sob story. (Pun!)**

**Mourning over the bittersweet moment,**

**sevendeadlyquinns**


	12. Halloween Ball

**A/N: Sorry, not much time to thank last chapter's reviewers. I'm about to leave for vacation, and I'll be gone two weeks. I don't think I'll be able to write or post where I'm going, and I feel pretty bad about it, since many of you are very faithful readers.**

**I promise I'll have an extra-good chapter up as soon as I can after I get back!**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

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><p>I was woken up the next day at eight o'clock when Mary, Alice, and Marlene burst through my door. "Lily, Lily, get up! We have the Halloween ball in only twelve hours!" Mary shrieked.<p>

I winced. "_Only_ twelve? Why, it takes me that long to paint my nails!" I said sarcastically. "I'm going back to sleep."

"No you are not," Marlene said, pulling me out of bed. "If I have to be tortured by them, I'm bringing you with me."

I grunted and stood up.

"We're all going to breakfast," Alice said gently. _Mhhmm. Breakfast- I'll get up for that._

"Oh, all right," I muttered. "What are we doing today?"

"Alice and I thought it would be fun to have a spa day!" Mary said excitedly. _Oh, Merlin. I bet the Cruciatus Curse would be less painful._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Hold still," Alice complained as she was doing my hair that evening.

I whimpered, "But it hurts!"

"Pain is beauty, Lils," Marlene said with a smirk as she came into the room.

We were all getting ready for the Halloween ball in the seventh year girls' dormitory, and I was not enjoying it one bit.

"All done," Alice said to me, with a final mist of hairspray. "Now, was it that bad?"

I snorted. "Yes, it was."

She grinned. "Fair enough."

One makeup and hair product- filled hour later, we were ready to meet our dates and put our dresses on. Well, not in that order.

I wiggled into the dress that I'd found, almost hidden in the back of Gladrags- it was perfect for me.

My dress was soft gold and strapless, with a sweetheart neckline and a hem that fell about an inch above my knees. The feature that had drawn me to the dress in the first place was the middle section.

There were fabric flowers with shiny beads around the waist. It was probably the best dress that I'd ever bought.

"You look great, Lils!" Marlene exclaimed while twirling around in her own dress. I looked at it, chuckling at her audacity.

Marlene's black dress hugged her body and ran down to the floor. It had a halter strap, a cut out back, and a slit that ran along one side, exposing her tanned leg.

Alice's dress couldn't be more unlike Marlene's. Hers was an ivory color, with thick straps that fell onto her shoulders, a tight bodice, and a tutu-like tulle skirt.

"Do you think Remus will like my dress?" Mary asked us.

"Of course he will, Mare," Alice said sensibly.

Mary's dress was a deep blue color, with criss-crossing straps over her back and a top embroidered with silver. It fell gracefully to the floor.

"Are you all ready now?" I asked them, running a hand over my hair, which Alice had curled slightly and pulled back "to flatter my bone structure," she'd said.

We headed down the steps to meet our dates.

"Wow, Lily, you look great!" Greg said to me. I blushed as he handed me a corsage.

"A rose?" I asked, puzzled. Isn't the choice for a flower obvious when the girl herself is _named_ after a flower?

"I didn't want to be clichéd," he admitted.

I cleared my throat awkwardly. "Well, thank you. It's lovely," I lied, not having the heart to tell him that I hated roses; especially red ones, which clashed with my hair.

Our group started toward the Great Hall, and I looked around for James but did not see him.

"Hey, Remus?" I asked, tapping him on the arm. "Where's James? And his date?"

I was dying to know who he'd bring.

"Actually, I don't know the answer to either of those questions. I haven't really spoken to him all day, in fact," he said, looking a little worried.

"Hmm," was all I said in reply.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ten minutes into the dance, Potter entered the Great Hall. _Alone._

When he came up to me, I asked him, "Where's your date?"

"Nonexistent," he said nonchalantly.

I gaped at him. "Seriously?"

"Jamesly, actually, but yes," James said, a smile tugging up the corners of his lips.

I groaned at his awful joke. "What, couldn't get a girl to go with you?" I said, knowing full well that he had most of the Hogwarts girls at his disposal.

"I could've if I wanted, I suppose," he said. "Punch?" he asked me, abruptly changing the subject .

I was about to reply when Greg tapped me on the shoulder. "Do you want to dance?" he offered.

"Sure," I said, looking back at James as Greg led me onto the dance floor.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**James's Point of View**

"Oi! Prongs!" Sirius called out to me. I threaded through the crowd of people to reach him.

"Yeah?" I said.

He looked at me carefully. "Where's your date? And more importantly, _who's_ your date?"

"Don't have one," I mumbled, looking sourly at the spot where Lily and the Ravenclaw beater were dancing.

Sirius was obviously surprised. "Why?" he asked.

"Jackson got to Lily before I did," I told him angrily.

"So? You could've gone with someone else, mate" he said.

I watched as Lily and the Ravenclaw beater- I refused to call him by his name- moved closer to one another as a slow song came on. Positively green with envy, I resisted the urge to hex him as his hands moved dangerously close to her butt.

"Yeah, but I didn't _want _to go with someone else, Padfoot," I said, mentally _Avada Kedavra-ing_ Jackson.

He snorted. "If you weren't so in love with Evans, I'd swear you were gay. That's a statement only a pansy would make," Sirius said none too kindly. He continued, " Well, go take her from Jackson, then."

I stood, resolved to make her admit her feelings for me- feelings I knew existed.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Lily's Point of View**

After about a half hour of dancing with Greg, James appeared next to us and said, "Mind if I steal her away for a little, Jackson?"

Greg started to say, "Actually, I—" when James grabbed my arm and pulled me away.

"Thank you," I said. "He was getting a little too touchy- feely."

"I noticed," he muttered, a dark look in his eye.

"Well, care to get a drink, Potter?" I asked.

He nodded and led me over to the drinks table, where we filled our glasses and then sat down at an empty table.

"Hey, look at that!" he said, pointing at the ceiling. I quickly looked up, and when I realized that nothing was there, turned to look at him again.

James, who was grinning cheekily, handed me a bouquet of white lilies. "I decided to be clichéd," he said.

Smiling, I took them. "Thank you. They are much nicer than this bloody awful rose corsage," I said, sighing.

He said nothing, but picked up my hand, which I had been resting on the table. Out of habit, I tried to pull it away, but he held on to it. "I'm not going to do anything, relax," James said gently.

"If you're not going to do anything with it, then what's the point of holding it?" I sighed.

"I dunno. It's just...comfortable. Normal," he said, rubbing circles on my hand with his thumb.

Shrugging, I said, "Why didn't you bring a date?"

"Wasn't anyone I wanted to bring."

"You asked me," I pointed out.

He corrected himself by saying, "There wasn't anyone I wanted to bring that wasn't already going with Greg Jackson."

Half-smiling, I said, "That's actually kind of sweet. But even if I hadn't agreed to go with Greg, I would've said no."

A look of hurt crossed his face and made me wish I could take back what I'd said. "No, that's not what I meant. It wouldn't have been fair to you, because I know how you feel about me, and I'm not in any state to date someone at this time," I tried.

"Lily, you overanalyze things," he told me.

"I know," I sighed as he stood up.

"Want to dance?" he asked me, offering his hand. I took it and he pulled me to my feet.

We moved easily to the medium-paced song, talking and laughing. James told me about the time in our third year when he and Sirius switched Professor Slughorn's Verseritum with water. When they were interrogated by McGonagall two weeks later, they could easily lie.

Laughing, I questioned, "And she had no idea?"

He chuckled, and I could almost feel the vibrations of our chest because of the space-or lack thereof- between us. "No, I think she suspected, by she couldn't prove anything."

A slow song, by the new singer Celestina Warbeck, came on, and James put his hands around my waist and pulled me closer to him.

"What are you doing?" I demanded to know.

"Dancing," he said simply.

I put my arms around his neck. "Well, I'll have you know that I think Celestina Warbeck is bloody awful. Sounds like a banshee," I told him.

"True. But you'll have to tolerate it, I suppose," he said

I looked around. Mary and Remus were slow dancing, a sight so sweet that I'd have a toothache tomorrow morning. Marlene was dancing with her date, Justin Davis, while Sirius looked on angrily, hands on the butt of the date he'd brought.

Merlin, when were Marlene and Sirius going to notice that they'd be perfect as a _couple_, not just snog buddies?

I looked at James, who leaned in and whispered in my ear, "So what you're saying is, you're not attracted to me at all?"

Heart pounding, I said, "Not a bit."

His cool breath tickled my face. "Not even a little?" he said, his lips brushing lightly against my ear.

This time, it was a little harder to say, "No."

"Hmm," was all he said, but he never put the distance back between him. Neither did I.

As the song ended, I picked up James's wrist and looked at his watch. Midnight. The dance was over.

"Time to go back to our dormitories," he said with a suggestive wink.

I pulled myself away from him. "Yes, I'm going to go to bed. _Alone,"_ I added.

We trudged back upstairs, and I wished I hadn't allowed Marlene to convince me to wear such high heels.

When we reached the top of the staircase that led to our bedrooms, he turned to me. "Well, since I walked you home…"

"You didn't walk me home! We live across the hall from each other!" I interjected.

"Since I walked you home," he continued, "I get to kiss you goodnight," he said triumphantly.

"No, you don't," I replied stubbornly, though my heart was pounding against my ribs.

"I think I do," he said, leaning towards me.

My breath caught in my chest, and I stood frozen, unable to move; or maybe, I didn't _want_ to move.

He brushed his lips against mine softly, and pulled back with a cheeky grin. "I had fun tonight," he said.

"I'm sure you did," I grumbled and opened my door. Flopping on my bed, I admitted, "I did too," although I knew he couldn't hear me.

Maybe, just maybe, soon he'd have a different answer to his question Because, I started to realize, James Potter wasn't so bad after all.


	13. Hogsmeade with Peter Pettigrew?

**A/N: Well, readers (if I have any left after not posting for two weeks) I'm back! Sorry, I was on vacation, and every time I tried to use the _one_ computer we had with us, either a) my sister took it or b) we had to leave to go somewhere. Sigh.**

**Well, thank you to last chapters reviewers. I'm jetlagged and too lazy to look for all of you.**

**Hope you enjoy chapter thirteen!**

**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize is the property of the brilliant J.K. Rowling**

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><p>The next morning, breakfast was very interesting. Mary and Remus had entered the Great Hall holding hands, while Sirius and Marlene were both like ticking time bombs, ready to explode at any second. They glared at each other across the table.<p>

"Remus, would you pass the butter?" Sirius asked him.

Just as Remus went to reach for the butter, Marlene grabbed it smugly and took her time buttering her toast. Sirius cleared his throat, but she ignored it.

"Where's Peter?" I whispered to James.

"Bed. Sirius spiked the poor sod's punch last night and he has a bloody awful hangover."

I frowned. "Rather malicious of Sirius, don't you think?"

He shrugged. "I think he meant to get Marlene's date. But he got distracted when they started snogging." He whispered the last part.

Sirius reached for the salt, which was next to Marlene. "Oops!" he smirked, wiggling his eyebrows as he knocked over the salt shaker, which caused salt to spill all over Marlene.

She brushed her jeans off and shot him a murderous look. Before anything else happened, I decided to leave this game of cat-and-mouse before it got too bad. I stood and announced, "I'm going to the library," but my words fell upon deaf ears.

_Merlin, first we've got Mary and Remus making googly eyes at each other, and then we've got Marlene and Sirius, who are mad at each other for nothing. Sure, Marlene brought another date, but so did Sirius! He should've asked her before Davis did, _I thought to myself.

"Oof!" I grunted as I slammed into someone, falling to the ground in a flurry of books and papers. "Sorry!" I exclaimed as I looked at my victim.

"Sorry, Justin," I repeated as I recognized Justin Davis. Speak (or think) of the devil, and the devil will appear.

He looked at me. "Oh, it's alright. I should've been paying attention!"

I handed him possessions and eyed his pile of books.

"Do you have a project or something?" I asked, noting that he had multiple potions books.

"I'm actually going to the library to return these, just finished a brutal essay for Slughorn," he grimaced and shifted his bulging school bag.

"Ahh," I nodded. "I'm off to the library to start that essay, actually."

We both headed toward the library, Justin chattering about the topic he'd chosen for his essay. Since I was dying to know if anything had happened between him and Marlene, I said:

"Hey, not to interrupt, but how'd the dance go with Marlene?"

A strange look crossed his face. "Oh, it was alright, I suppose. But I got the feeling that Black wanted to kill me, and I've no clue why."

Chuckling, I assured him, "Definitely not your fault."

Reaching the library, we plunked out books down at a quiet table. I paged through various potions books, looking for material to put into my essay.

After about a half hour of solid work, Justin spoke up.

"Hey, Lily? Are you er, going to the next Hogsmeade?"

I delayed answering by pretending I had to finish a paragraph. When I could put it off no longer, I replied hesitantly, "Um, yeah."

"D'you think you would want to go with me?"

Oh, the dreaded question.

"What about Marlene?" I stalled. "I thought you liked her?"

He shook his head. "She's nice and all, but…I dunno. She likes Black anyway, you can tell."

"Umm," I purposely knocked my book off the table so I could give myself time to think while I tried to retrieve it.

I took my time picking it up, then delayed more by flipping to the page I'd been on.

"Lily?" he pressed. _Wretched, persistent boy._

"Uh, what?"

"Do you want to go to the next Hogsmeade trip, with me?" he pointed to himself.

I was thinking of a way to let him down gently when a voice interrupted:

"Sorry, Davis, Lily promised she'd go with me."

_A savior!_ At this point, it could be Peter Pettigrew, I didn't mind, as long as it wasn't Davis. Or Potter.

Wait. I recognized that voice. I looked up and nearly fell out of my library chair.

"Potter?" I choked out.

Justin looked quite surprised. I imagine I did too. It was no secret that I did not return James's affections.

"Oh. You're going with Potter, then?"

Well, I suppose I'd better tell him that. Now I could get out of going with him, I thought gleefully.

"Um, yep!" I squeaked. James sat down in the chair next to me and casually draped his arm around my shoulder.

Instead of slapping him, I smiled brightly at Justin, who hastily packed up his books and scooted out of the library. As soon as he was out of sight, I picked up James's arm and dropped it at his side.

"I just saved your sorry behind, Lily," he said.

"I'm aware. Thank you very much, a date with Davis would've been torturous!"

"Now, the least you could do is actually go with me."

"Absolutely not," I refused.

"You know you want to," he sing-songed.

"No, I don't," I replied flatly.

"If you don't go, I'll tell Davis that you're madly in love with him," he threatened.

I gasped. "You wouldn't!"

"I might," he said nonchalantly. "Or I could thank him for backing off, because after our Hogsmeade date we had a nice shag in the Heads' dorm."

At the last comment, I smacked him on the arm. "Alright, alright! I'll go so long as it is _strictly platonic._ No hand-holding, putting your arm around my shoulder or waist, none of that nonsense."

James's face lit up. "Really?"

I gruffly nodded my head and said, "Now get out of here before I regain my sanity."

_Merlin, Lily! You are the dumbest person to ever sit in this Hogwarts library. You are an idiot, you are leading him on when you know it'll amount to nothing!_

An extremely tiny voice in my head nagged that I _wanted_ it to be a date, that I _liked_ James. I told it to put a sock in it.

* * *

><p>Two weekends later, I found myself in the seventh year girls' dormitory, getting ready to go to Hogsmeade.<p>

"Hey, Lil, what do you want to do today?" Marlene asked, briefly holding up different sweaters against her torso.

I gulped. Marlene had assumed we were going together, as Mary was going with Remus, and Alice with Frank.

"I er, um, can't," I stuttered.

"Can't what?" she asked, rifling through her trunk.

"Can't, um, go to, uh, Hogsmeade, with, er, you," I replied lamely.

"Why not?" she asked, her eyes squinted. She wasn't angry, just curious. "Lily, do you have a date?"

"No! No, it's not a date!"

She smiled knowingly. "Are you going with a boy?"

Mortified, I nodded.

She fired a round of questions at me. "Who is he? Is he in our year? Oh, he'd better be, you cougar! What house is he in? What's his name!"

"James," I whispered.

"James Ingleby?" she asked, confused. James Ingleby was the other James in our year, a rather unattractive Hufflepuff.

Shaking my head, I flopped back onto Alice's bed.

"James _Potter_?" Marlene interrogated me.

I didn't bother to reply. I didn't need to.

Rather than hitting me round the head and checking my temperature, she started laughing. Not a giggle, either, but loud guffaws and snorts.

"Finally! Finally, Lily!" she exclaimed.

I stared at her. Merlin, everyone in this whole bloody castle must be going insane.

"Lily Evans has finally realized that she fancies James Potter!" she yelled.

My ears turned a fiery shade of red that matched my hair. "No, no, no! It's not a date!" I tried to tell her.

Mary padded in from the bathroom, hair dripping and wrapped in a towel. "Did I just hear Lily proclaim her love for James Potter?" she asked.

Giving up, I grabbed Alice's pillow, burying my face in it and moaning.

Almost an hour later, I had been plucked, pruned, and dressed by Mary and Marlene against my will.

They had forced me into wearing black tights, a tight black skirt, and a light pink sweater, with furry gray boots. I was about to pummel them.

"Is this necessary?" I huffed finally. "It's just James."

"That's the point!" Mary squealed. "It's James!"

Grumbling about how the Death Eaters should really use makeovers instead of the Cruciatus Curse, I picked up my white peacoat and scarlet and gold Gryffindor scarf.

"I'm leaving," I told them, "Before you torture me further."

James was waiting for me at the bottom of the steps in the Entrance Hall.

"Let's get out of here," I suggested. "I'm going to melt if I sit in the heat with a coat and scarf on."

"Fair enough," he said, loping along with an easy grace. When we exited the castle, the leaves crunched under our shoes on the path to Hogsmeade.

James adjusted his scarf and cleared his throat. "I assume you're not a Madame Puddifoot's kind of girl, are you?"

Understanding berk. Most, if not all, boys I went to Hogsmeade with tried to coax me into going to the stuffy tea shop.

"Nope, definitely not," I told him.

"Three Broomsticks?" he suggested.

"Lead the way."

After we had seated ourselves in a booth at the bar, Rosmerta, the owner's curvy daughter, came to take our order.

"Two butterbeers, please," James requested, oblivious to the way Rosmerta was eyeing him.

She glanced at me, as if I was expected to react; no, it did not matter to me if she wanted to look at him. After all, I didn't like James. Or, at least that's what I convinced myself of, after quieting the little monster inside of my chest that wanted to slice Rosmerta to bits.

"Uh oh," I said aloud as I noticed a group of boys from our year entering the bar. "James, do you mind if we take a speedy exit out the back? I see Justin Davis _and_ Greg Jackson coming in right now."

A dark look crossed his face when he saw them, but he stood and left money on the table for our drinks. We hurried out the back door, laughing at the close call.

"Now _that_ would have been an awkward encounter for me!" I told him. "Thanks."

"No problem. But that's twice I've saved you now," he said. "You just can't seem to keep the boys away, can you?"

I blushed. He was making me sound like some sort of slag, and I told him such.

Chuckling, he said, "No, Lily, I didn't mean it like that. You don't even realize you do it, but you leave a trail of broken hearts wherever you go."

I frowned. "Am I really that inconsiderate?"

"Nah. Just when it comes to guys, really."

"Oh, super," I sighed. "Maybe that's why my relationships never reach a year…" I remarked wistfully. Shaking my head, I stomped out all of my silly fantasies.

"Well, where to next?"

I was startled from my thoughts. "Honeydukes?" I suggested, because I was indifferent and the candy shop was an easy stop.

In Honeydukes, I bought Chocolate Frogs (for my dad) and Sugar Quills (for my mom) to send home. My family just couldn't get enough of wizard candy, I suppose, even after five or so years of Hogsmeade visits.

On the way back to the castle, James walked so close to me that our arms continually bumped against each other. Slyly, he picked my hand up in his, with a touch so feather-light that I almost didn't know we were touching. _Almost_.

I stuffed my hand in my pocket. "Remember the rules, James?"

"I don't seem to have any recollection…"

Quickening the pace- it was getting quite dark-, I reminded him, "No hand holding, arms around the waist or shoulder, or linking arms."

He grinned at me. "You're quite demanding, you know that, right?"

I matched his smile. "If you can't keep up, Potter, you might as well give up."

Shaking his head, he said, "Never."

Well, you had to admire the boy's persistence, I suppose.

I looked around- the sun was setting, but dinner wasn't for another few hours. Just as well, because I wasn't really hungry.

We silently made our way up to the Heads' dormitory, both apparently lost in thought. Once in our common room, I settled down to finish a Defense Against the Dark Arts essay.

Half an hour into my essay, James picked up and sat down next to me on the couch. I ignore him, but it became increasingly more difficult as he scooted closer.

"James," I said in a warning tone, eyes still on my parchment.

He looked up and blinked innocently. "Yes? I'm not holding your hand or doing anything of the sort."

Bloody loopholes. I should've thought this out better.

"And you never said anything about snogging in your list of things I'm not allowed to do. So how about it?"

I froze. Think, Lily! Think!

"It would be rather hard to snog me appropriately while still following my rules, wouldn't it?" I said triumphantly.

His face fell the teensiest bit. "I'm a rule breaker, love."

"Not when they're my rules," I replied smoothly. As masochistic as it was, I sort of liked bickering with James. The battle of wits always entertained me, I suppose.

"Besides," I continued, "I never snog a bloke on the first date." As soon as the word _date_ slipped out of my mouth, I wanted to slap myself. We hadn't gone on a date.

James looked hurt. "But what about that time I saw you snogging the pants off of Diggory five minutes into the date, back in fifth year?"

"And you didn't even go on a date with Mullen, that time last year…" he reminded me.

"Only because I was forced to play that ridiculous game!" I interjected.

He ignored me and continued, "_And_ you snogged Lawrence not even ten minutes after he asked you out!"

"Alright, alright! In the past, I have snogged on the first date, I'll admit. But not anymore, sorry."

I didn't want to tell him that the only reason I was against snogging him was because I was afraid it'd mean something.

"Why'd you agree to go on a date with me, then?" he asked, seemingly genuinely curious.

"I dunno," I started sarcastically, "Maybe because you blackmailed me into it?"

"Aww, I wouldn't have actually _done_ it, even if you said no. Plus, you just agreed that it was a date!"

"Did not!'

"Did too!"

"We are not playing this game, James!"

"Oh, but I would like to play games with you…"

"Get your mind out of the gutter!" I snapped, and shoved him onto the floor.

He looked up at me, laughing. "You're not serious, are you?"

I looked down at myself and pretended to be surprised. "Why, I'm not! I thought I had a leather jacket and a head three times the normal size…"

"Not what I meant. Are you actually mad?"

"'course not. You're not _that_ bad of a date."

"Good. So that means we can go on a second date!"

"We'll see."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I know, some of you probably wanted to see James and Lily have a crazy snog session (myself probably included, they've waited too long!)**

**But Lily Evans is fiery and independent and stubborn, and she just doesn't give it up that easily.**

**So, lovelies, review and I shall post the next chapter soon!**

**Jetlagged more than you would believe,**

**sevendeadlyquinns**

**PS: Who got on Pottermore? I was so upset when I didn't, by time I got the blasted foreign WiFi to work, registration had closed. I almost cried.**


	14. A Real Date

**A/N: Hello, lovely readers! First, I'd like to thank you all for getting me to over fifty reviews! Yay! Second, I'd like to apologize for the delay in posting. I've been traveling a lot, and haven't had much time to write, but things have slowed down, so I hope I'll be able to post at least once a week, if not more.**

**Third, I'd like to thank chapter 12 and 13 reviewers: belly84-who reviewed chapter 12 AND 13, woohoo!, thesilverdoe1, the potter family, BrieQuafflepuncher, 4evaskinslover, Shhayy-j11 (well, I hope this chapter answers your question!), elliey black, brittneydalton5 (thanks for the author favorite, by the way, it made me happy :) ), and Lenners (good idea, I'll keep that in mind!)**

**Disclaimer: I obviously don't claim anything from Harry Potter as mine. Nope, if I did, you'd be reading 759 page bestsellers rather than fanfiction.**

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><p>After telling (and retelling multiple times) Mary, Alice, and Marlene about my Hogsmeade trip (I refused to call it a date) late that night, they finally allowed me to go to sleep.<p>

When my alarm clock blared the next morning, I was still exhausted. They'd kept me talking past one, demanding that I replay every single word that James and I exchanged.

Evidently, the three hour interrogation session wasn't enough for them. At breakfast, Mary brought it up again. "I _still_ can't believe you didn't snog him."

I snorted. "Why would I? We're just friends."

"Likely story," Alice said.

Sigh. All three of them practically wanted me to have James's children.

"Uh huh," I answered vaguely, stirring my porridge. "He'll get over this little phase and we can go back to being friends."

This time, it was Marlene who snorted. "You're kidding, right? The bloke's been after you for seven years."

Feeling my face go hot, I swallowed some of my breakfast. "No. I think he's just in it for the chase, and if I agree to go out with him, he'll be satisfied and not give a crap."

_Liar, liar_, a voice chided in my head.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Lily!" a voice called from behind me. I sighed and turned around; I was planning on arriving early to our Wednesday morning Arithmancy lesson, but someone decided otherwise.<p>

"Yes, James?"

He slowed down once he reached me, breathing somewhat heavily. "I wanted to get to you before class," he explained.

I looked expectantly at him. "Well?"

"Well, I would like to take you out for dinner on Friday night."

Raising an eyebrow, I replied, "Oh? The only place to eat dinner in the castle is the Great Hall, and I was planning on going anyway."

"In the castle, yes," James said. "So is that a yes or a no?"

"Well, I would enjoy eating dinner, so the Great Hall sounds better than Moaning Myrtle's toilet, I suppose."

He chuckled. "Be ready around seven."

With a swirl of his school robes, he disappeared around the corner, leaving me staring at the place where he'd vanished.

What was James up to?

* * *

><p>"And he asked you out? Without blackmailing you?" Alice squealed at dinner. I suddenly regretted telling them.<p>

"Er, I think so?"

"Oh this is fantastic!" Mary giggled.

I rolled my eyes at the two of them. "Marlene, _please_ tell me I can have a conversation with you that doesn't involve James Potter?"

Marlene smirked. "I don't know, I have to admit that it's kind of fun watching you being tortured like this."

"You are evil." I glared at her.

"Fess up, Lily. You love talking about James."

"What about me?" James asked, coming up to the Gryffindor table and sliding onto the bench next to me.

"You eavesdrop too often," I told him, shooting Marlene a look that said, "Go ahead, _dare_ to contradict me."

He grinned and slung his arm around me waist, pulling me a little closer to him. "It's called selective listening, my dear."

Remus, who'd just sat down next to Mary, raised his eyebrows. "Any recent developments you haven't told us about, James?" he asked dryly.

James pretended to think for a moment. "Not any that I can think of, Moony," he replied cheerfully. I whacked him on the arm.

"Well, happy Wednesday, everyone!" Sirius grinned as he wriggled himself between James and me.

"What's there to celebrate?" James grumbled.

"Aw, don't seem so down, Prongs," Sirius continued, oblivious that he was the reason for James's sudden mood change. "We're halfway through the week!"

I heard James mutter, "Yes, and the weekend can't come bloody fast enough."

"Why?" Peter asked suddenly. I almost jumped- I hadn't seen him sit down.

"You see, Wormy," James began with a boyish grin on his face, "I'm taking Evans here out on a date this weekend."

"I thought you went on a date, you know, that Hogsmeade trip?" Sirius pointed out.

"And I thought we were on first name terms!" I added indignantly.

James ignored Sirius and shrugged sheepishly at me. "Sorry, Lil- force of habit."

I threw a piece of potato at him, which he caught in the air- damn Quidditch reflexes- and quickly swallowed.

"Well, I think we've got to find someone for Wormy," Sirius said.

All of us, including Peter, stared at him blankly.

"Well, Moony's got Macdonald, Prongs has Evans, I've got Marlene—"

"—hey! None of us feel like being treated as object, Black, and who said I'm 'yours'?" Marlene interrupted.

"Since when am I James's?" I wondered.

"You were always his," Remus said simply.

I glared at all four Marauders.

"Yes, so," Sirius continued, "I really think Wormy deserves a girl. Just so he doesn't feel left out when we're all snogging, of course."

I wasn't the only person who threw pieces of food this time.

* * *

><p>"Merlin's bloody –"I cursed, sitting on the floor of my bedroom later that night. I'd just tripped over my desk chair.<p>

Rubbing my throbbing elbow, I attempted to stand up.

"What's wrong?" James asked, rushing into my room with his wand raised.

"Nothing," I groaned, gingerly bending my arm. "I tripped, that's all."

He was staring at me, and his eyes were definitely _not_ on my injured elbow. I looked down at myself and blushed, pulling down the hem of the oversized t-shirt I was wearing as a nightgown.

James crossed the room in a couple of steps. I eyed him warily, ready to hex him if his hormones started rampaging. He picked up my arm and examined it.

"Ouch," I winced when he touched the part I'd landed on. He immediately withdrew his hands and pulled out his wand, muttering an incantation I couldn't hear, but figured I should really learn, because my arm instantly felt better.

Picking up my arm and gently kissing it, he said, "All better."

My arm tingled where he'd touched it. I realized that we were only a few inches apart, and his hazel eyes were looking expectantly at me.

Merlin, did I want to snog the pants off the bloke. Before I could initiate anything, however, James leaned down and, cupping my face in his hand, pressed his lips against mine.

Electricity seemed to radiate between us as I pulled him closer to me by the front of his shirt, hungrily moving my lips against his. My knees turned to jelly and I backed up, leaning against the wall for support.

James's right hand stayed at my hips, while his left ran down my waist and along my thigh, causing shivers to run down my spine. When I finally pulled away, he continued to press his lips against my jaw, trailing kisses down my neck and collarbone.

"James," I breathed, trying to concentrate, a difficult feat given the current situation, I must say.

"Mhmm," he murmured against my skin. I sighed and pushed him away from me. Keeping his face centimeters from mine, he leaned against the wall, one arm above my head.

"We should go to sleep now," I suggested. "We still have classes in the morning."

"You can really think about _school_ right now?"

"Yes! It's N.E.W.T year," I replied defensively. "We can't fall behind!"

"We can miss a couple classes in the morning, you know," he said quietly. "Catch up on some snogging, we're well behind, considering you hated me for the better part of post-puberty years."

"No," I said firmly, even though snogging James for hours sounded glorious. "Now go to bed."

"Is that an invitation?"

I cuffed him on the shoulder and pushed him out the door. He stepped back inside.

"Goodnight, Lily," he said, kissing me softly.

I melted into him and felt my head spin a little as he pulled away. " Goodnight, James."

Before he turned to leave, James asked, "Does this mean I can call you my girlfriend?"

"Why does it matter?"

He answered me with a cheeky grin. "Because I want to ensure that I have sole snogging privileges."

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><p><strong>AN: Dawwhh, they had their snog session! **

**until the next update,**

**sevendeadlyquinns**

**PS- I'm jealous of you lucky ducks that got onto Pottermore!**

**PPS- Pleaaaseee review! They make my day and literally take five seconds to write. I'll love you forever if you review :)**


	15. Never Felt Like This Before

**A/N: Hello, lovely readers! I apologze very very much for the delay in posting. I had a bit of writers' block, you see, and all the natural disasters we've been having in my area haven't helped, haha. Earthquakes, hurricanes, and tornadoes, oh my!**

**A big thank you to last chapter's reviewers: Shhayy-j11, anon, belly84, SaraHunterOfArtemis, TeamJacobBitch, Lenners (Aww, you make me blush :D), and elliey black (They gave their puffskein back about April of sixth year, haha. It's okay though, I'm always tired and disoriented!)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, then why the heck would I be waiting to gain access to Pottermore?**

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><p>"Have you seen James?" I asked Remus on our way to Arithmancy on Friday. I hadn't seen him all day except for classes, but even then he'd barely even glanced in my direction. Silly as it felt to do so, I was worried.<p>

_Did I do something wrong?_ I wondered. A year ago, if you had told me I'd be worried about what James Potter thought, I would've laughed at you. Now, it wasn't so funny.

At first, I thought I was totally in control of the situation, and that James was just a boy I was going on a date with, nothing special, nothing to worry about. After Wednesday night, however, I wasn't so sure.

"No more than you have, I'm afraid," he replied. The smirk on his face told me that he had; however, I knew he wouldn't tell.

Before I could stop them, the words tumbled out of my mouth:

"Is he avoiding me?"

The slight smirk grew larger. Remus took his seat at a desk in the front of the room. I sat down next to him, intent on wriggling information out of him.

"I don't know."

Git- here I thought Remus was the nicest of the Marauders. Peter gets my vote the next time around.

I opened my mouth to interrogate him, but snapped it shut when Professor Brown entered the room.

"Students, if you would please pass forward the worksheets we had for homework, we can begin our lesson."

As soon as class ended, I bolted for the Heads' dorm. Merlin, I hadn't even _thought_ about what I was going to wear!

I threw my bag on the couch in the common room and looked around; not surprisingly, James was nowhere to be seen.

Deciding that a shower was the best place to start, I stripped off my uniform and let the steady pounding of warm water calm me down.

After my skin was beginning to wrinkle, I sighed and shut off the water. After half an hour, I still did not know what I was going to wear.

Merlin, why must everything be so bloody complicated? More importantly, why didn't I plan my outfit before this?

I checked the clock on my wall: four forty-seven. I had plenty of time, right?

Forty minutes later, it looked like my closet and trunk vomited all over the dormitory, and I stood among the piles of clothing in only my underwear, hair still dripping wet, no makeup on, and not a clue of what to do next.

_Breathe_, I instructed myself. _You'll find something to wear, you'll be just f_—a knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. Oh no! James probably told me six o'clock and now I wasn't ready and he would never want to go out again!

I looked around for something to put over my bra and panties, but was not able to quickly locate anything. My caller knocked again, so I hid behind the door and opened it a crack, praying to Merlin that it wasn't James.

"Yes?"

The door flung open and I barely had time to react and move before it crushed me. Marlene barged inside with a bag in her hand and looked at me.

"What in Merlin's name are you doing?"

"I have no bloody idea. Help me!" I squeaked like an idiot.

She seemed to ignore me at first, only picking up shirts and hanging them back in my closet. "Did you shower yet?" she asked finally.

I nodded.

"Go brush your hair then," she advised me. "It'll get knotty and the last thing you need is a bird's nest on your head. And don't be tempted to use some type of charm, because it will only make it worse."

I retreated to the bathroom and did as she told me. When I came out ten minutes later, the hardwood floor was once again visible and three different outfit options lay on my bed.

Eyeing some of the pieces that I didn't recognize, I asked, "Where did you get all of this?"

Marlene finished laying a belt down on my quilt. "Some of this is yours, obviously," she cleared her throat, and then continued, "Some of it is ours, and some of it we bought as a good-luck present for you."

I realized the "ours" meant Mary, Alice, and herself. "Where are Mary and Alice?" I wondered aloud.

"We decided only one of us should come, so we don't overwhelm you," she informed me. "I was elected because I've been on the most first dates, apparently," Marlene made a face at the last statement.

She really had, but I bit my tongue; I needed all the help I could get, and I didn't want to chase her away. "What do I wear?" I asked her hesitantly.

She gestured to my bed. "Pick one."

Looking at my options, I immediately vetoed the skintight, jet-black strapless dress that seemed inches away from being a tube top. I guess that it had been Mary's contribution. The other two outfits, however, seemed relatively normal.

"I don't know which one!" I wailed to Marlene. She eyed the clothes on my bed, looking exasperated.

"Personally, I'd go with that one," she said, pointing to an ensemble that featured a grey, fitted, high-waisted skirt; a cream-colored scoop neck shirt; and a silver necklace with a garnet stone pendant (my birthstone.)

"Looks good to me," I said, trying to quell my nerves as I looked at the clock on the wall. I slipped the clothes on and looked expectantly at Marlene. "What do I do now?"

She sat me down and did my makeup. I closed my eyes and tried to let the brushes moving over my face calm me down, but I couldn't stop imagining the horrible things that could occur later. What if he wanted to go for a stroll in the moonlight and I tripped over a rock and fell in the lake? What if he went to kiss me and I burped?

When I relayed me fears to Marlene, she started laughing uncontrollably. "Get a—" she gasped, "Get a grip!"

I lightly slapped her upper arm. "Stop!" I complained, "It's not funny!"

"It is and you know it," she replied cheekily, swiping a final coat of mascara on my lashes. "Come on, Lil, you've gone out with tons of blokes before! This is no big deal. Besides, James is too smitten to notice if you do anything wrong."

I sighed. "Oh, all right."

A rapping on the door interrupted the final sentences of her pep talk. I squealed and nearly fell out of my chair. "Come in!"

The door swung open and James stood in the hallway, looking perfect in black dress pants and a gray dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He grinned crookedly at me, and my knees turned to jelly.

Merlin, when did this boy start affecting me so much? Curse the damn teenage hormones!

I stood, partially leaning on my desk chair for support.

"Ready?" James asked, holding out an arm. Marlene gave me a little shove and I turned to glare at her before taking James's outstretched arm.

"Yep," I squeaked like an idiotic, boy-crazed, fourth year Hufflepuff. James led me out of the Heads' dorm.

"Now," he began, picking up my hand, "we're allowed to be out until ten for rounds, but after that…" his voice trailed off.

"So we only have three hours?" I practically whined.

James chuckled. "Lily dear, it seems you hardly know me at all! We'll sneak back in after curfew, of course."

I stopped dead in my tracks. "Oh, no, James Potter! We're going to get caught, and then you will be responsible for my first ever detention, and—"

"Wait," he cut me off, "you've never had detention?"

Nodding furiously, I continued, "and I can't even believe that you would even _think_ that I'd agree to such a foolish plan!"

"One, _I_can't believe you've never had detention! Remind me to fix that. But we won't get caught, I've done this loads of times!"

I snorted. "What, sneaked girls in and out of the castle? Somehow, that doesn't comfort me."

Ruffling his hair, James said, "No! Snuck out!"

I gave him a reproachful look. "With the Marauders!" he added sheepishly.

"Sure," I grumbled. I did not enjoy thinking of all the girls James had dated previously.

"Jealous, love?" he asked mischievously.

I stopped myself from stomping on his foot and said sweetly, "Not anymore than you were of my exes." He shut up for a few minutes and picked up my hand, intertwining our fingers as he did so.

"Where are we going?" I wondered aloud.

James stopped abruptly in front of a rather strange statue of a one-eyed witch and pulled out his wand, tapping the statue and muttering, "Dissendium."

My eyes widened as the statue's hump opened, revealing a small passage. "W-what the hell?"

"Oh yeah, secret passage," James said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "There's about seven in and out of the school, we know all of 'em."

"You guys are bloody amazing, you know that? Some students can't even jump the trick stairs," I said hoarsely, in awe.

"Yeah, well…" James rubbed the back of his neck. Hmm. How uncharacteristically _modest _of him. "Go on, get in. You might have to bend down a little."

I peered inside the passageway. "Oh no, I'm not going first! I have no clue where I'm going!" I looked at the passage again, paying more attention to the details. Hmm...it looked big enough for me to walk normally, why would James…

"James Potter!" I gasped as realization dawned on me. "Are you trying to get a look at my ass?"

The git didn't even look embarrassed. "What? I'm a teenage boy, it's your fault for wearing that tight of a skirt!"

I shoved him toward the passage, blushing. "Just get in."

He waited until I was inside, then tapped the statue again. "It's not that I _mind_, of course," James continued, "really, I like that type of clothing on you!"

_I'm sure you do._ "What, grey?" I asked innocently.

"Sure, we'll go with that," he chuckled and poked my back gently with his finger, signaling that it was time to get a move on. I tried not to squeal as his fingertip grazed a ticklish spot.

I lit my wand tip and started walking, intent upon keeping the hip-swaying to a minimum, quite aware of the boy walking behind me that smelled heavenly, like cologne and the fresh-cut grass of the Quidditch pitch.

I practically jumped when James placed his hands on my hips. "Don't scare me like that!" I said, my voice rising a few octaves in surprise.

"Sorry," James apologized, sounding sincere. "I need something to hold onto in the dark," he added, and I didn't need to look back at him to know he was smirking.

"Aww, is ickle Jamesie scared of the dark?" I teased.

"No, but I am absolutely _terrified_ of 'Jamesie' becoming your pet name for me."

"Watch yourself, or it just might. And when does this damn passage open up?"

"Now," James said, halting underneath a trap door. I was unprepared for the sudden action, and, as his hands were still around my waist, I crashed into him.

"Oof! Sorry," I apologized. He pulled something thin and shimmery, almost transparent, out of his pocket and threw it over us. "Is this the infamous invisibility cloak?" I asked.

"The one and only," he told me, bracing a hand against the door. "Now shh."

I closed my mouth and gaped as a ladder appeared, and James led me up it. I looked around and saw box after box, all labeled with names of sweets. We were in the Honeydukes' cellar.

James grabbed my hand and led me out of the shop, which was a really strange experience. It was just before closing time, and the candy store was quiet. We tiptoed past the counter and out the door to High Street.

"What next?" I asked.

"You'll see."

James whipped the cloak off of us and stashed it back in his pocket. He picked up my hand once again. Merlin, you'd think I was his only tie to the ground and he had to hold onto me as if his life depended on it.

He stopped us in a secluded, empty lot behind a few shops.

"A picnic?" I looked at the blanket spread out on the ground, with containers of food set on it.

"Yeah, is it okay?" James asked eagerly. My whole body felt warm and tingly despite the frigid night, and I was overwhelmed with appreciation for my boyfriend. _Mhmm. That sounds nice- boyfriend._

"Lily?" he asked again, looking anxious.

"It's not okay…" I breathed. His face fell. "It's bloody perfect!" I squealed, and flung myself at him. We tumbled onto the ground, conveniently landing on the blanket. I silently thanked Merlin: the frozen, hard-packed dirt would not have been nearly as comfortable of a landing spot as the cushy blanket on the ground.

"Geez, I'd have done this a long time ago if I knew you'd react like this," James said, propping himself up on his elbows above me. I rolled my eyes and lifted my head up to kiss him.

Meeting my lips eagerly with his own, James pressed his body against mine. He supported himself so I didn't feel any of his weight, and I didn't mind the contact- it was freezing, after all. I needed something to keep me warm.

After a few blissful minutes, he pulled away and rolled over with a sigh. "Much as it pains me to do this, I actually planned a date, so we can't just spend the whole time snogging."

"We can't?" I asked, only half joking.

James didn't answer, he was too busy with the containers of food. "Hot chocolate?" he offered me a cup.

I gladly accepted it and took a sip. The warm liquid warmed me from the inside out. One bowl contained tomato soup, a plate had grilled cheeses, and another had mashed potatoes. James had picked all of my favorite foods, even if they didn't necessarily go well together.

We played 20 Questions and I learned things I had never known about him, like how his first broom was a Comet One Twenty and he'd wanted to buy Zonko's when he was twelve.

"Ready for dessert?" James opened a container that had lemon meringue pie in it- my absolute favorite.

"I think you're trying to make me fat," I announced.

"Wh-why would you think that?" he stammered. "I have no such intentions!"

"I'm kidding!" I told him.

"Oh," he looked relieved. "But if you didn't have such an amazing body, I wouldn't have to keep my guard up all the time," he muttered, almost, but not quite, inaudibly.

I pretended not to hear the last comment and instead dug into the pie.

* * *

><p>"Done!" I declared, my spoon clanking against the plate as they collided.<p>

"Good?" James inquired.

"No, you're a lousy date and I never want to snog you again," I replied with a solemn face. His grin faded until I grabbed his collar with both hands and tugged him towards me. Stopping himself when his face was just inches from mine, James asked, "Really?"

"What do you think?" I smirked, pulling him so that our lips brushed against one another.

"I think…that you'll have to prove it to me," he whispered seductively against my mouth. Damn, how did he manage to do that? I melted like a box of chocolates in Africa at his touch.

We deepened the kiss, our tongues happily dancing together. I threaded my fingers through James's unruly hair, and he gripped my waist through the wool of my coat. All of the emotions I was feeling at that moment both scared and excited me, and I didn't care. The only thing I wanted right now was James.

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><p><strong>AN: The next chapter should be up within a day or two, I think. It's mostly written, because I was going to make it one chapter, but it got too long, so I decided to split it.**

**Reviews are _very very very much _appreciated!**

**xoxo**

**sevendeadlyquinns**

**ps- the rating of the story may change to M, not sure yet. I mean, it's two crazy kids here. Let me know if you're completely opposed to content that would fall into 'M' though, so I know whether or not I'll lose readers if it gets a little bit crazier. PM or review is good. thank you!**


	16. Stay With Me

**A/N: Greetings! I promised a quick update, and here it is! A big thank you to all of chapter 15 reviewers (I didn't expect many, because I posted it like 12 hours ago): MortalFire101 (I think James is happy too, lol), x Shaaa x (There's always room for more Sirius humor!), and taylah**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Wow, jerks, thanks for making me admit it to myself. Haha, kidding.**

**On to Chapter 16, my fair maidens! (Or...whats the male word for 'maiden'? I don't even know.)**

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><p>Eventually, I moved my attention to his jaw, pressing kisses on the underside of it. I smelled the scent of cologne and grass, and it drove me crazy.<p>

"Lily," James groaned as he pulled me off his lap, where I was surprised to see I had ended up.

"Yes?" I pouted. He took a deep breath, unknowingly teasing me with the movement of his throat.

"We're not done our date." After pulling me to me feet, he added, "I want to make sure you'll never forget this."

I sighed. "What next?"

James reached behind a tree and pulled out a broomstick.

Oh no. Not the dreaded cliché date! No, no, no!

"James!" I shrieked. "You have got to be absolutely _insane_ if you think I'm going to hold onto you as we ride around on your broom!"

"Sorry, Lils, I'm old school. Hop on!" he patted the back of the broomstick behind me.

Well, if it was broomstick ride or walk alone back to the castle, I guess broomstick ride wins. But not by much.

"Fine," I grumbled as I clambered on the broom behind him. I hated flying, ever since first year, when it was the one thing in the magical world that I didn't excel at.

"Hold on!"

Just to spite James, and show that I hadn't given in to all of his charm, I grabbed the ends of the broomstick behind me. _Hah. _

We jerked forward, and I lost my grip on the broom. All indignant feelings momentarily forgotten, I wrapped my arms around the waist of the boy who insisted on making a fool out of me.

"This is actually kind of nice," I commented as we soared over the Astronomy tower. James brought us softly down on the Quidditch pitch, our toes skimming the grass as we slowed and eventually stopped.

"Not so bad, yeah?" he asked.

"Good date, Potter," I used his surname to annoy him, but simultaneously leaned over to give him a peck on the lips.

He ducked out of the way (the git) and glanced at the castle before throwing the cloak over us. "Don't worry, _Evans_" –he put emphasis on my last name—"there'll be plenty of time for that once we're back in the Heads' dorm."

"Don't count on it now," I murmured, but hopelessly realized that I would give in to him- and my teenage hormones.

We sneaked back up the flights of steps and back into our dorm.

"_Told_ you I'd get us back in without getting caught," James said triumphantly.

"Never had a doubt," I lied, unbuttoning my coat and throwing it on the couch. "I'm gonna change into my pajamas, but I'll meet you back here when I'm done?" I asked.

After a quick nod of agreement, we both disappeared into our rooms. Believe me; I had the hardest time picking out pajamas to wear. Sounds crazy, but I didn't want something too revealing, or too grandma-ish, or too matchy-matchy, or…

I finally settled on a pair of plaid sleep shorts and an old, faded, crewneck sweatshirt and practically skipped downstairs to meet James. He was sitting on a couch, wearing a pair of boxers and a white v-neck. I mentally slapped myself for ogling him for so long.

But hey, if we were dating, then I was allowed, right?

"Hey," I said as I sat down next to him.

"Hey," he echoed, putting an arm around my shoulders. I leaned into him, snuggling against his chest. James lifted my chin up and kissed me gently. I immediately responded by sitting up straighter and closing the distance between our bodies, putting my hands behind his head to massage his neck.

A small moan escaped my lips as his hands slipped under my sweatshirt and his fingers traced the planes of my stomach. _Mmm._ James's hands felt glorious as they touched my skin.

_Lily, back to reality!_ Since I was being honest with myself, I reluctantly admitted that, at the rate we were going, James and I would be shagging in a month. I really wasn't _that_ girl. As much as I wanted to…er…yeah, we weren't at that point in our relationship, I reasoned. _Yet_, added the obnoxious, boy-crazed teenager inside of me.

"We have to stop," I whispered.

"Huh?" James asked, his lips teasing the flesh at the hollow of my throat.

"James, it's…it's too fast."

He sat back immediately, taking his hands off me like I had spattergroit. "Oh Merlin," he groaned, burying his face in his hand.

"What?" Was I that lousy of a snogger?

"I—I feel like a lying bloke who's only after you for a shag! Merlin, Lily, I'm such a git!" Oh, Merlin. I didn't mean it like that!

"James!" I said loudly.

"Lil, I understand, I really do, if you don't ever want to talk to me again."

"James!" I screamed, wryly thinking of what it must have sounded like to someone outside our dorm.

"Yeah?" he looked at me, hair rumpled and hazel eyes wild.

"Don't be an idiot! I still like you; I just don't fancy taking my top off after the second date!"

He stiffened. "Lily, I wasn't going to try, I can't believe you'd—"

_Merlin, he needs to shut up_, I thought. I leaned in to kiss him, preventing him from putting his foot in his mouth any longer. James instantly softened at my touch. I drew away slowly.

"James, listen to me," I faced him, speaking in a stern tone. "It was an exaggeration. I just don't want to be one of those couples that…that has sex a month into the relationship."

"Oh." He relaxed. "So…I'm not…pressuring you or anything?"

I sighed. Stupid, chivalrous boy. "No! This is really awkward; can we please stop talking about it?"

James sighed in relief. "Yes, please!"

I crawled into his lap and quickly kissed him. When he didn't respond, I pulled away with a curious look.

"I don't want to snog right now, Lils."

I blinked, trying to comprehend the words that just came out of an _eighteen year old boy's_ mouth.

"Okay," I said, a bit taken aback. "But can we spoon?" I asked, wanting to be close to him.

"Er, what?" James looked more confused than Peter had during O..

"Ugh, you boys are so ill-informed," I grumbled. "Lie down," I instructed him.

With an amused look, James laid back on the couch.

"You'll be the big spoon, and I'll be the little spoon," I told him, laying down on my side next to him, positioning us so we were both laying on our sides, my back pressed into his chest. James draped his arm over my stomach.

"_This_," I said, gesturing vaguely around the couch, "Is spooning."

"I see," James said with a snort.

I snuggled into him. "You're annoying."

"So I've been told," he replied, kissing the top of my head.

* * *

><p>"Think they finally shagged?" someone commented above me.<p>

I opened my eyes and blinked. That 'someone' was none other than Sirius Black.

"I dunno," Marlene replied, "I can't see, the blanket's covering them."

"Ugh. If they're naked, I definitely _don't_ want to see that! Well Prongs, really, I hear Evans is quite fit…ouch!" I heard a slap. Hmm- Marlene must've whacked Sirius. He deserved it, in my opinion.

"We can hear you guys," came James's voice in my ear. I stretched and threw the blanket off of us.

"Oh, the horror!" Sirius mock-gasped, covering his eyes but peeking through them. Marlene whacked him again. "Ouch, woman, stop hitting me!"

James and I stood simultaneously. I stretched my arms high in the air, yawning.

"And I will inform you that we did _not_ shag, Sirius Black!" I said.

"Rotten luck, Prongs," he said to James. Marlene hit him a third time. "Will you _stop_ that?" he shrieked like a girl.

"I'll stop hitting you when you stop being such a git."

"We'll leave you two lovebirds alone," Marlene said, dragging Sirius out of the dormitory.

"Sleep well?" I asked James, once they were gone.

"Yeah," he answered, "I'm quite the fan of spooning now, actually."

I chuckled. "Do you want to go to breakfast?"

"Sure, but let me get dressed first." James eyed my outfit. "You'd better do the same, or else I'll have to beat the blokes off with a stick."

I blushed and scurried up the steps. Once in my room, I changed into black leggings and an oversized blue sweater; I really didn't feel like putting much effort into my outfit. After brushing my hair out, I applied a few coats of mascara and headed downstairs.

James met me in the common room, dressed in sweatpants, trainers, and a t-shirt: apparently he felt like it was "dress like a slob day" as well. He picked up my hand and we started toward the Great Hall.

When we reached the entrance, I nonchalantly dropped James's hand. I wasn't _quite_ ready to be harassed by his many admirers. We started walking towards the Gryffindor table, and James grabbed my hand again. People started whispering as we passed.

Ugh. Sometimes he was so oblivious. I hadn't planned for the whole school to find out as soon as we started dating. I tried to ignore the hisses from the Slytherins and the catcalls from the Gryffindors, the jealous whispers of the Hufflepuff girls.

"Ignore them," James said to me once we sat down, giving me a kiss on the cheek. I tried to smile at him, but I think it came out more like a grimace.

"They'll settle down eventually," he said confidently.

* * *

><p>Unfortunately, James's prediction did not come true until the first week of December, when Sirius and Marlene had been walked in on, snogging in an empty classroom, clothing and hair…disheveled, to say the least.<p>

"Happy one month anniversary, love," James barged into my dormitory on the morning of the fifteenth, fully dressed. I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"Same to you," I said as he sat on the edge of my bed. I started to get up, but his outstretched hand stopped me.

"I brought you something." He waved his wand and a tray of food came zooming towards me. James caught it and placed it on my lap.

"You brought me breakfast in bed?" I squealed, flinging my arms around him as best I could without knocking the tray over.

"Uh huh."

"But I didn't get you anything!"

He ruffled his hair. "No big deal. But I can probably think of a few ways for you to make it up to me, if you want," he added with a smirk.

I winked at him and turned my attention to the plate of strawberry waffles in front of me.

"They're kind of red, like your hair," James commented.

Yum. Waffles. I forked some into my mouth. Ahh, heaven in breakfast form.

I licked some whipped cream off my finger and sighed happily.

"Ugh, I can't stand it anymore," James groaned.

"Wha—" my question was cut short when he moved the food from my lap and covered my mouth (which still tasted like strawberries) with his. When we broke apart, I complained, "I wasn't done eating," while James planted his lips up and down my neck and jaw.

Between kisses, he murmured, "This beats waffles, don't you think?"

"Maybe…" I trailed off, looking longingly at my unfinished breakfast.

"Hey, is that my shirt?" James asked, sitting up and pointing at me.

"Yep," I replied, defensively crossing my arms over the blue Puddlemere United t-shirt. "And you're not getting it back, it makes a wonderful nightgown."

"I'd say," he muttered quietly, eyeing the hem of it, which rested mid-thigh on my leg. "Keep it."

"You know, we leave for vacation in a couple days," I mused, snuggling back under my comforter.

"Yeah," James breathed, scooting next to me. "Do you want your Christmas present now, or when we get back?"

"Why can't I open it on Christmas?"

"It's an in-person kind of thing, love."

I sighed. "When we get back then, I suppose."

"When are you coming back, again?" James asked, pulling up my blanket and getting under it.

"The twenty-ninth," I repeated, for what felt like the millionth time.

"Twelve whole days away from each other," he whispered, playing with a lock of my hair. His socked foot grazed my calf underneath the sheets.

"Uh-huh."

"But you'll be back for New Year's?"

"Yes," I replied patiently.

"Good," he murmured, his breath tickling my ear. I closed my eyes lazily as he slowly and deliberately kissed my neck, then gasped when he nipped a sensitive spot below my ear.

I snuggled myself against James, kissing his cheek. "You're staying here, right?"

He nodded. "My parents are spending some time together in France before Dad has to leave on a mission." James's father was an Auror.

"When does he come home?" I asked, then immediately regretted the phrasing of my question.

"We don't know," he said softly. Poor James, growing up, never knowing if his dad was coming home from work.

I wrapped my arms around his torso and buried my face in his chest. He stroked my hair, humming to himself.

"We should get up," I told him eventually, disentangling myself from him. "I've got to pack, finish some essays…"

James hopped off the bed with a grunt and pulled me to my feet.

"Out," I said.

"Why?" he whined like a toddler.

"Because I need to change."

James smirked. "All the more reason for me to stay, love."

"Get. Out."

He gave me one last, long, wistful look before I shoved him out the door. I would miss him more than I liked to admit, I noted fondly.

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><p>"James, I'm going to miss the train!" I exclaimed, gulping for air as we broke apart.<p>

"Does it matter? You can just stay here with me," James murmured, tightening his grip around my waist and kissing me again.

"James," I said warningly, "I've got to go." I calmed him with a quick peck on the lips and turned away from him, gathering my belongings and preparing to board the horseless carriage that would take me to Hogsmeade station.

Once inside the carriage, I waved goodbye to James until he was a blur of dark colors against the snow.

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><p><strong>AN: Not quite sure how I feel about this chapter :/ Oh well.**

**As of 6:53 PM on Sunday, August 28th, there are 46 people on story alert and 23 favorites of this story. I average about 5 reviews per chapter, I think. I know I don't always like to review, but it makes my day when I get all of your reviews! Thanks!**

**l**


	17. A Promise

**A/N: Well, at long last, here is the _complete_ version of Chapter 17! My laptop charger finally came, hurrah! Long story, it was backordered on a few sites. Absolute _torture_, I tell you. Thank you to last chapter's reviewers (I'm exhausted and too tired to list all of you, I'll try to reply soon) I also apologize in advance for any typos/grammatical errors. I had student council, then soccer, and of course, _Glee_ came on, and I still have mounds of homework to finish. I sort of rushed to post this (but I'll make it up with a good next chapter, I hope!)**

**Something about this chapter just doesn't sit right with me. While writing it, I knew exactly what I wanted to happen, but...I don't know. Grr.**

**Disclaimer: Copyright Rowling. And Adele owns "Someone Like You" but that actually doesn't relate to this story in any way, so...**

**On to Chapter 17!**

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><p><strong>"<strong>Mmph!" I squealed into James's chest as he crushed me in a a hug. "Let me go!" I tried to yell, but the words were muffled against his navy sweater. James loosened his grip slightly, burying his nose in my hair, which was a knotty mess, thanks to the traveling.

"I missed you," he said into my tangled red locks.

"I missed you too," I said, pulling away and setting my bag on the floor of the common room in the Heads' dorm.

"How was your Chri-" James started to ask a question, but was cut off when the portrait hole opened.

"Hey, Lil!" Marlene and Alice shouted, barging in. Funny, I'd never told them the password. It was also quite comical, I thought sarcastically, how they were oblivious to the moment that they had just ruined.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked, hugging each of them in turn. "And how did you get the password?" I'd deliberately changed the password to our dormitories after Marlene and Sirius had gotten a few weeks ago.

"Sirius," Marlene replied breezily, plopping herself down on our couch. "James gave it to him ages ago. And, by the way, Mary will be back tomorrow." Mary had spent Christmas visiting her uncle, who lived in Russia.

"Did he now?" I reminisced while gritting my teeth. I looked at James, who was sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

Well, I hoped he was happy now. "Sorry, Lils, Sirius just needs to-" But what Sirius needed to do, I never found out, because Sirius himself stepped inside our common room, followed quietly by Peter and Remus.

"Prongs!" he bellowed, "you're going to miss dinner!" Dinner wasn't for another hour and a half, I noted, checking the clock on the wall. Sirius sat himself down next to Marlene and put his arm around her shoulder. "Oh, hi Lily," he added as an afterthought.

"Nice to see you too, Sirius," I commented dryly. I turned to the two remaining Marauders. "Hey Peter. Remus. How were your holidays?"

"Fine," Peter squeaked. Goodness, the boy grew more mouselike every day.

"Alright, how were yours?" Remus replied.

"Okay, I guess...my sister wanted nothing to do with me, but that's normal now." In truth, Petunia hadn't once acknowledged my existence, but I didn't want to sound completely pathetic. Everyone there, with the exception of Sirius, had completely normal families. Heck, James had a practically perfect family.

"And she missed me terribly," James added.

I rolled my eyes. "Remind me again why I put up with you?"

"Because of my charm, good looks, how I'm an amazing Quidditch player, and-"

"your modesty," I finished, rolling my eyes again.

"Actually, I was going to say excellent snogging skills, but modesty works too." James grinned, earning a high five from Sirius. I lightly whacked him on the chest.

"Maybe I'll just date Peter then, since you're so in love with yourself," I joked. The blonde-haired chubby boy looked up in surprise, his eyes wide.

"Alright, all of you get out! Before someone steals my girlfriend!" James said, shoving Sirius towards the door.

Peter hesitated. "I wouldn't steal Lily, Prongs. Partially because she would never take me and partially because you would beat the crap out of me," he said.

I raised an eyebrow at James, who replied, "I know, Wormy, only joking. But Sirius had to go."

"I heard that!" Sirius called from the portrait hole. James chuckled.

"You were meant to!"

The remaining guests filed out. "See you at dinner, Lil!" Alice said as she passed me. I waved goodbye and made sure that everyone had really left.

When I returned, James was stretched out on a couch. "Alone at last," he commented.

"So cliche," I muttered under my breath. "What do you want to do before dinner?" I said, loud enough that James could hear me.

"Well," he began slowly, grabbing my waist and pulling me onto the couch with him before I could protest, "we have two options."

Quirking an eyebrow, I started to ask what they were. James continued on, "We could snog each other senseless, or you can have your Christmas present."

"Christmas present," I answered almost immediately, sounding like an eager child. "And you can get yours, too." I was anxiously waiting for the moment when James would open my present. I hoped he'd like it.

Once I'd hurried to my room, retrieved the present from my (locked) trunk, and scooted back to the couch, I sat waiting, fidgeting with my hands in my lap.

What is taking him so long?

After what felt like an eternity, James appeared at the bottom of the steps, holding a small box.

"You first," I commanded, shoving the parcel I had towards him. Apparently as excited as I was, James tore through the wrapping paper and picked up the individual parts of his present, looking at them each in turn.

"Wow...new Chaser gloves...those'll come in handy for the match against Slytherin in a month...Zonko's bag, I'll go through that later...and...a book?"

His face fell slightly; James did not enjoy reading. "Look at it," I insisted. In my opinion, the book was the best part of his present.

"Merlin!" he gasped, "A signed first edition of Quidditch Through the Ages! Do you know how rare these are? My mum couldn't get one for me, and she tried loads of times!"

"Stop babbling," I told him, fighting a smile. "I can't take all the credit- apparently, Slughorn is on very good terms with Kennilworthy Whisp."

"This is..." he searched for words. Not seeming to find any, he kissed me instead. I pulled away more quickly than I usually would; I really wanted to see what my present was. James had been hinting about it for weeks.

"You ready to see your present?"

I nodded eagerly. James stood, suddenly serious (if you'll pardon my choice of words.)

"Lily, first, I want you to know that you're the most special girl I know," he started. I snorted. Sometimes he was just so awkward with words.

"And I've been waiting for the right time to tell you, but I love you."

_Say it back,_ a voice chided in my head. But I couldn't- that phrase was reserved for the most sacred of relationships, and I couldn't make myself say it. James continued on, acting as if he didn't notice how I didn't say it back. He knelt down on one knee and began to pull something out of his pocket.

"Merlin!" I shrieked. "James Potter, you are _not_ proposing! Are you crazy? We're seventeen! We haven't even been together two months!"

"Shh, let me finish."

I snapped my mouth shut, trying to keep in my panic.

"I'm not proposing," he soothed. What a relief. I was glad I didn't have to hex him back into sanity.

"I do want to marry you one day, but until then…" James popped open the box. A simple ring with a silver band that formed a knot in the center shone against the black velvet, with a single, clean-cut diamond on top of the knot. I gaped at it, at a loss for words.

"Um…" I rambled, "I need to sit down."

"You're already sitting down," he pointed out.

"Well, what am I supposed to say?" I snapped, then immediately regretted being so irritable.

"You could put it on?" he suggested. "And not make me kneel here with my arms outstretched like an idiot?"

I faintly nodded and picked it up, turning the delicate piece of metal over in my hands. Indingantly, I slipped it on my _right_ ring finger. No way was _anyone_ going to think it was an engagement ring.

"Lily, I promise to never lie to you, to always be there for you, and to never pressure you to do anything you don't want to or force you into ultimatums," James said, picking my hand up and running his thumb over the ring.

"You're sweet," I replied finally, leaning over to give him a peck on the cheek. I was a little overwhelmed, I admitted to myself. This was kind of a big step, and I was never really great with the relationship stuff.

"Do you like it?" he asked, and I could tell that if I _didn't_, he would mope for weeks.

"Of course."

James breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad," he said, pulling me onto his lap. "Mum helped me pick it out."

"She has good taste," I commented, telling myself not to think about how much they must've paid for it. Goblin-made, by the looks of it, which would only make it more expensive.

"So do I!" he protested.

"Nah." I spoke slowly. "Do you remember Ashley?"

"Don't want to talk about it," he muttered, burying his face into my shoulder. His lips unintentionally ghosted over my neck, and the skin tingled where he'd touched it.

"Oh, she was such a bimbo…" I taunted.

"Don't want to talk about it," James repeated sourly.

I grinned and leapt off of the couch and his lap, checking my watch again. "We should go, it's almost time for dinner."

James, ever-hungry, brightened at the word 'dinner' and stood, not bothering to fix his rumpled shirt. "Let's go, I'm starved!"

I tucked my wand into the pocket of my old, ratty sweatshirt and reached for James's hand. He quietly picked mine up and we started for the Great Hall, fingers intertwined.

"So, how _was_ your Christmas?" he asked, finishing the question he'd begun a few hours ago.

"I told you. Boring. You don't want to hear about it."

"Of _course_ I want to hear about it," he insisted. I gave him a knowing look and he gave me the crooked smile that I knew was reserved just for me. "Really."

"Uh-huh. So how was your Christmas?" I asked him, steering the subject away from my magic-hating sibling.

"Alright. Spent it here with Sirius and Remus, since Pete went home. We had a few snowball fights and played a few pranks. Nothing too exciting," he informed me.

"Did you spend time with Marlene?" I asked, hoping that my best friend hadn't been bored over the holidays. She'd stayed because her parents were attending a funeral. Some relative she'd never met, an aunt's cousin's husband or something like that.

James smirked. "I know Sirius did," he grinned, "But I didn't. Meals and all that, but she hung with a few sixth year Gryffindors and a couple Ravenclaws in our year." I felt relieved, since I knew that Alice, Mary, and I had all been worried about Marlene being lonely.

"How long do you give them before they break up?"

"A few months, I'd say," I guessed.

"I say three weeks," James challenged.

"Five galleons to whoever's closest, then?" I offered, extracting my hand from his and offering it to him to shake.

"Deal." James shook my hand before we reached the Gryffindor table.

"Hey, guys," I said, sitting down next to Alice. She scooted over a bit to make more room for me to sit.

"Good evening," Marlene quipped distractedly, spooning potatoes onto her plate. I grinned, my eyes roaming the Great Hall. I sat, taking in the sight of Hogwarts. Mmm, it was good to be home.

"Pass the salt?" I asked Alice. She reached down the table and handed it to me.

"Oh my Godric Gryffindor!" she squealed. I looked around, alarmed. Was someone dying?

"Your hand," Alice hissed. I gave her an amused look. "Marlene, look at that _rock_on her finger!"

"Oh, that."

"Yes, that!" Marlene smiled at me. "A present from the boyfriend, I suppose?"

"Which one?" I asked jokingly, winking at her. I carefully glanced down the table to make sure James hadn't heard. No catastrophes needed this evening. Luckily, he was absorbed in his dinner, chatting with the Marauders.

"Lucky bitch," Marlene sighed. "Sirius gave me a box of condoms and a book called '_Opening Up Your Chamber of Secrets_.'

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. He was joking, I think. He'd better be, otherwise I'll hex him into tomorrow," she threatened, cracking her knuckles but grinning at the same time.

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><p>"<em>Please, Mrs. Potter, can we get yous anything?"<em>

"_No, Puffy, I'm quite alright."_

"_Is you sure, _mudblood_?" The house elf's face grew into that of Severus Snape's, and I screamed._

"_Mudblood, mudblood," a thousand elves and Snapes chanted. They started throwing things at me, a mix of promise rings and tomatoes. Someone cackled and an elf pointed above, where a dark mark lingered over my parent's house. I screamed again, running towards it. Outside, flowers, candles, and sympathy cards from the muggle neighbors littered our front stoop._

"_No!" I yelled, throwing the door open. It was unlocked, and blood stained our cream-colored carpet. "No!" I repeated._

_Suddenly, the living room filled with a blast of red light. I turned and saw a masked figure sending spells at my sister. I ran as fast as my legs would carry me, but they felt leaden. A final blast of light jetted from a wand, green this time, accompanied by two words:_

"_Avada Kedavra."_

I woke with a start, my heart racing. Suddenly, the quilt on my bed was too warm, even though it was January and the castle was drafty. "Just a dream," I murmured, sitting up and fumbling for my wand. I lit it and looked around. I was alone in my room.

After pulling my hair back from my face, I hesitantly got out of bed. I crept out of my room, darting across the hall and pausing at James's door. The floor creaked, and I jumped, hitting the door. It hit the wall with a crash.

"Whasitzit?" James grumbled, sitting up and grabbing his wand from his nightstand. "Oh, hi," he mumbled sleepily.

"Can I sleep in here?" I asked, wincing at the way it sounded.

"Um, sure?"

I climbed on the other side of the bed and wiggled underneath his quilt. In my short time out of my own bed, I had grown cold. "Try anything and I'll hex you into…" I tried to come up with something but was too tired to. "Into something bad."

"I'll keep that in mind."

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><p><strong>AN: Just a little FYI, I'm thinking that this story will finish up at around twenty three chapters, maybe? Nothing is set in stone, we'll see how things pan out. I'm not planning any type of sequel, either.**

**Toodles! Please, please, with all my heart, I ask you to review!**

**And thank you so much for putting up with me!**

**xoxo**

**sevendeadlyquinns**


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